The Prophecy of the Star part 1: Earth
by wolfchic011
Summary: Someone is stopping crime in the city long before Wordgirl gets to the scene!  But when Wordgirl confronts this "new super-hero," it sets in motion a chain of events that could alter her future. Rate T mostly for cartoon violence.
1. Chapter 1: A Familiar Stranger

This is my first fan-fic. I also wrote it rather hastily in about 2 hours so it's probably nothing special. The "T" rating is for the mild violence and content coming in later chapters. Usually I don't advocate violence in children's cartoons but I've been dying for Wordgirl to do some actual fighting. I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with this so the story could get rather long… I would appreciate it if the readers stick it out to the end. Please?

Anyway, enjoy!

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Chapter 1: A Familiar Stranger

Wordgirl paced restlessly around her grounded space ship. She glanced at the clock for the millionth time and sighed in frustration. Five minutes until the marathon of Pretty Princess began. Even though she was almost 13, she still enjoyed a couple of good episodes of that show when there was nothing better to do on a Saturday afternoon.

Bored, she flopped down on her favorite chair and turned on the TV. She flipped aimlessly through the channels until she had wasted away those five minutes. But just as the gaudy title screen of her favorite show flashed up, she heard a distant ringing sound. The alarm at the jewelry store was going off.

She threw her hands up in exasperation. "AWWW! Why does this always happen in the middle of Pretty Princess?"

**Umm, maybe because that's the only show that's ever on?**

She glared up at the narrator. "Why are you here? This isn't an episode? Is it?"

**No, I just think you might need my help considering what's about to happen…**

"Why? What do you know?"

**Oh you'll see. But I think you'd better get going…..**

"Right! Thanks!" Wordgirl leapt into the air. "Time to go Huggy!.. Huggy?" Then she remembered and slapped her forehead with her hand. The reason she was alone today was because Captain Huggyface(aka Bob) had to go to the vet with her parents for his annual "check-up." And he had definitely not been happy about it… "_But there's nothing wrong with MEEEEEEEE_" he had shrieked as Mr. Botsford dragged him into the car.

"Well, it's only a little robbery…..I can handle it alone…" She looked up, but the narrator had nothing to say.

She rolled her eyes and lifted her arm. Word-up!"

2 Minutes later

Wordgirl sped at top speed to the place where she had heard the bell go off. When she reached Ye Old Fancy Schmancy Jewelry Store, she quickly landed in front of the door, drew a deep breath, and then threw the door open dramatically crying out as she did so: "Have no fear! Wordgirl is…. What..?" What had begun as a confident battle cry quickly faded to nothing as she looked around the shop. "What happened here?" The store looked almost untouched. The clerk was behind the counter, rifling through a bag of jewelry, carefully stroking each one and murmuring to them. The only thing slightly out of the ordinary was the new ceiling fixture: Ms. Question and Amazing Rope Guy, both unconscious and strung up in a cocoon of rope dangling upside-down from the ceiling.

"Ah, little super-girl." It was Reginald, the overly-ostentatious jewelry store clerk who didn't seem to ever improve security at his store even though it had been robbed or almost robbed close to 100 times. He came out from around the counter clutching a brilliant diamond in his hand as if he were afraid to let go of it. "I'm afraid you're a little late."

"I can see that." Wordgirl commented, trying not to lose her patience at his obvious condescending tone. "What happened?"

Reginald carefully stored the jewel in his pocket and began fiddling with his moustache. "Honestly, I don't know. I was in the back room sorting through a new order when the alarm went off. As I rushed towards the store-front, I heard some scuffling, some cries of pain and other strange sounds. But by the time I got out into the store, they were hanging there like that and the bag of stolen jewels was sitting on the counter. It's been about five minutes since I came out." He glared accusingly at her. "Where were you, if you didn't do this?"

"I got here as fast as I could!" Wordgirl exclaimed already looking for clues.

"Well, it obviously wasn't fast enough!" the snobbish jewelry store clerk said turning back to his precious jewels. "Someone else beat you to it."

Wordgirl gave up on trying to converse with Reginald and instead examined the trussed-up villains. The cocoon was tied in the same was she usually wrapped up Amazing Rope Guy and other villains. But **she** obviously hadn't done this! Who could have? As she continued to fly around the captured villains, something caught her eye. The cocoon was **not **exactly like hers. Where she usually tied the ropes shut with a quick and simple bow, there was instead a complex star weaving the trap shut. She leaned closer to examine the knot taking in the complexity and the uniform size. As she looked down she realized she was looking at the shield on her chest. She than looked back at the knot. It was the same size and shape as the star on her chest.

Before she could ponder this any further, her super-hearing picked up another alarm, this time at the bank. She sighed in frustration. What was it with criminals today? She quickly glanced back at Reginald who was carefully polishing the would-be stolen loot. He would be okay until the police arrived. She took off as quickly as she could eager to see (or maybe catch) this "new" super-hero…

She burst into the bank without even bothering to be dramatic. This time, it was the Butcher swinging from the ceiling. But instead of rope, he was wrapped up in his own meat. More of his meat was flung haphazardly around the bank, as if there had been a fight.

"Wordgirl! There you are!" he shouted actually sounding happy to see her. She quickly flew over to him, not at all in the mood for pleasantries. "Who did this? Where are they?"

"Oh, you just missed them, they left just a second ago…" she was already gone, back outside the bank scanning frantically for anything out of the ordinary. A quick movement in a side alley caught her eye. Someone was walking quickly away from the bank. Somehow she knew it was her mysterious new rival. She swooped over, landing right in front of the perpetrator in an aggressive stance.

"Hold it right there! Whoever you are…" She stopped. She was staring into a black mask. Behind the mask was (as far as she could tell) a female teenager. The girl was dressed in simple, dirty clothing and carrying a long bamboo stick. Her dirty-brown hair was pulled back in a tight pony-tail high on her head. But what was most surprising was that the girl didn't seem at all surprised to see another girl suddenly land in front of her. The stranger, looked Wordgirl up and down slowly, taking in her outfit, her stance and the look in her eyes (half aggressive, half confused). Then she began to chuckle.

"Well that certainly won't do if you're planning on taking me in."" She said. Confused, Wordgirl tilted her head. "What do you mean...?"

The stranger sighed and poked Wordgirl's arm with her bamboo stick. "Your hands are much too low." She commented, sounding like a school teacher explaining to a student for the millionth time that "supposably" was not a word. She effortlessly twisted the stick around Wordgirl's limbs so fast that it blurred and whistled in the air. It came to a rest, tapping on Wordgirl's right knee. "And your legs are much too far apart. That gives you no balance and no stability." She thwacked Wordgirl's forward leg smartly with her stick sending Wordgirl toppling over into the dust to prove her point.

Blushing furiously, Wordgirl sprang up into the air ignoring the stranger's smile. "Oh yeah? Well….well…. I've taken down villains far more dangerous than you and…. and I don't need balance when I fly!... so..ha..." Even as she said it she knew it sounded childish.

The stranger only smiled as if she knew something Wordgirl didn't (which drove Wordgirl **crazy**) and tossed her stick aside. "Alright, if you really think you can, go ahead. Take your best shot." She took a step back and spread her legs comfortably, arms at her side. "Or, even better." She clasped her hands behind her back. "I won't use my hands, just my legs, okay? Go ahead." She presented herself to the superhero.

Wordgirl wasn't sure what to do. No one had ever challenged her like this before. She was having second thoughts already. Maybe she should try something less obvious than a direct approach… She desperately wished Huggy were here. After all, Huggy was the kung-fu master, not her.

"What are you waiting for, a first round bell?" the girl taunted, bouncing on her toes a little and grinning devilishly. "I thought you were going to hit me?"

Wordgirl assumed her fight pose while flying. What was the harm? She was strong and fast and one good kick might make this stranger shut up. "I have to warn you," she said confidently, pumping her fists a little. "I have super-strength." She smiled haughtily at the stranger. "This might hurt a little…"

"I figured as much." The stranger said, not moving from her pose. "I think I can handle it. I've been told I'm quite strong for a girl."

"Trust me," Wordgirl said, trying to keep a grip on her temper while dealing with this incredibly irritating girl. "I'm pretty powerful."

"Maybe," the stranger said, eyes flaring mischievously. "But power is nothing without control."

The calm, superciliousness of the stranger finally got to Wordgirl. Without warning, she dashed forward in a quick flying-air kick aimed at the girl's chest. She was moving too fast to be seen…

Something smacked into her side and she went careening off-course, smashing into a building wall, causing it to crumple inward. As she shook off the pain, she saw the stranger facing her, slowly placing her right foot back on the ground.

"Well now, that's no good." She said in that annoying conciliatory tone. "Why don't you try again?"

Without even thinking, Wordgirl threw herself at the stranger, intending to use her strongest punch to knock **her **down. But the stranger simply stepped aside and again, Wordgirl found herself sprawled on the ground. She sprang up again, this time trying to hit her opponent from the side only to find her punch blocked by a leg. She tried again, to no avail. She flew right at the girl and grabbed her by the shoulders meaning to throw her up in the air than hold her there until she gave up. But as her hands closed on her shoulders, both of the girl's legs came up and kicked her square in her stomach, breaking her grip and sending her flying into the other wall. As she struggled to free herself from the twisted bricks and debris, the stranger spoke again. "Well, I think that's enough fun for today." Wordgirl glared at her as she unlaced her hands (which, true to her word, she hadn't used), retrieved her bamboo stick and began to walk away. "Wait! I'm…" But she couldn't break free. Hot tears stung her eyes as she struggled. Why couldn't she win?

The stranger was suddenly right in front of her. Gently, she lifted Wordgirl's chin with the end of her bamboo rod. "There is no shame in losing." She said, all humor and aggravating edification gone from her voice. Her deep brown eyes stared into Wordgirl's who stared back, unable to move. "There is only shame in not learning." She dropped Wordgirl's chin and stared down at her. "It's not your fault you never learned these things."

Startled, Wordgirl looked up, but the girl was already walking away. "Wait!" she called desperately. The Stranger stopped and turned, a bored (or was it angry?) look on her face. "Who are you? What do you know about me?"

"If you truly want to know, you'll realize you already know my name. Beckyan." The last word was spat out how one would say the name of an enemy. Having said that, the masked teenager turned and in a single leap, jumped onto the roof of the nearest building, disappearing form sight. Wordgirl stared at the place she had jumped to, transfixed and more confused than ever. What had she called her? Why had she said it like that? The name had sounded so familiar….so much like her own…. She shook her head. She must've had her brains shaken up from all this crashing into things.

**See? I told you you'd want me along!**

She glared up at the narrator as she struggled to free herself. "What do you mean? You didn't even do anything!"

**Oh, right sorry about that. I was distracted watching you get thrown around.**

Her cheeks burned at that but she wasn't in the mood to argue with the voice in the sky. Twisting and pushing, she finally managed to free herself from the wreckage of the wall. But she knew it was too late to follow the stranger. It was then she realized she had never asked the stranger **why **she had been fighting crime in the first place. Or how. Or even where she had come from. The instant she had seen her, she had forgotten everything important and focused only on fighting her.

She screamed in frustration and punched the wall she had just freed herself from, creating another dent.

**So what now?**

She sighed. The voice was anything but comforting right now. She felt so lost, so useless. "I don't know."

The sun slowly set over the city, throwing golden rays and long shadows up the sides of buildings and over their rooftops. One rooftop in particular was painted a brilliant shade of gold by the light. But the shadows were quickly spreading as the sun died. On this brilliant rooftop, the very same one where she had leapt away from the one called Wordgirl several hours before, the female alien removed her mask and shook her hair out of its braid. She stared at the dying sun, not really seeing it.

"Don't you remember me at all?"

The sun slipped behind the sea, and the shadows quickly swallowed up everything in sight.

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So there you have it. I must admit, I was on edge about keeping the narrator in but he's my 2nd favorite character (after Leslie) so I figured why not. He's good for comic relief and gives Wordgirl someone else to talk too. Stay alert for part 2 and the rest of the story!


	2. Chapter 2: Inspiration

Thanks to all those who reviewed! You guys are the best and you keep me inspired! I wanted to get this up while it was fresh in my mind because I'm not sure when I'll be able to get the next chapter up. Excuse the cryptic language and wording; it's all intentional to make the readers wait…. Haha. Please review!

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Chapter 2: Inspiration

Marked as spam_Becky….Becky….Beckyo? Beckyat? What was it?_ Wordgirl had never been as frustrated with a word as she was right now. She grunted and lashed out with her fist again, sending the red and gold punching bag spinning away from her. She quickly swooped over to the far side of the training room and punched it hard as it flew at her, sending it back in the other direction. All the while, she was trying to remember that word….. that **name**….

She flew and punched the bag again, wincing as she did so. The bruises from where she had been kicked and thrown into two walls throbbed more painfully each time she lashed out at the bag swinging from her spaceship's ceiling. No matter how many times she sent it flying away from her, it didn't make the mental processes any smoother or make her feel any better. She didn't even know **why** she was doing it. She just kept punching it harder, and harder…

The bag was moving so fast now that it looked like a red streak. If anyone could see the room right now, they would have seen two nearly identical red streaks: one punching the other violently back and forth.

Wordgirl's mind began to wander as the exercise became monotonous. But her thoughts aggravatingly refused to leave the image of the teenager, her last harsh words echoed endlessly in her head: _If you truly want to know, you'll realize you already know my name. _And then that name! _Becky…?_

The tone of those last words stung nearly as much as the fight had. Thinking of the fight only made Wordgirl angrier but at least it momentarily distracted her from the frustration accompanied with her not knowing a word.

She ran over every detail of the battle in her head but each time she did, nothing changed. She had been unable to land a single hit and ended up battered, bruised and covered in dust while the masked teenager didn't have a hair out of place…

She furiously punched the bag again. _She had to have had super-strength or senses of some kind… to be able to kick me around like that… or maybe you're just weak… _ she shook the thought away violently. _ I'm a super-hero from the planet Lexicon. I have super-strength, speed and vocabulary! No has ever come close to my abilities! No human ever could… _ The ghost of an idea began to worm its way into her head. She tried to push the possibility away. It was impossible. No one knew she was here. But the idea was still there….. The more she tried not to think of it, the stronger it became… When it finally overcame her, she froze, forgetting everything else.

_Could she possibly be…?_ But just as the thought was forming, something hard and heavy smacked into her and she went flying across the room, slamming into the reinforced walls. The forgotten bag swung tauntingly, slowly returning to a speed visible to human eyes. Tears began to come again. _Crap. _ The feeling of being thrown into things was becoming an all-too-familiar one. One she did not akin to at all.

Huggy walked into the room (still upset about his ordeal at the vet's office) just as Wordgirl picked herself up from the floor, still cursing under her breath. He took one look at the swinging bag and knew something was wrong. Wordgirl was not a violent person, usually she only hit things when she was stressed out. This unfortunately, was becoming a much more common emotion than ever before. He really should teach her to control her temper… it had only gotten worse as she had gotten older. He sighed, longing for the days when Wordgirl hadn't needed to punch holes in walls or lock herself in the training room to solve her problems and overcome her emotions.

"What happened here?" he asked in his monkey chatter as he picked his way past piles of heavy training equipment to reach her.

She didn't answer right away but instead straightened up and angrily wiped her eyes. _Great_ he thought. _Tears too._ He wondered what that annoying reporter kid had done **this** time to make her upset. Although Huggy loved Wordgirl like he would a daughter, sometimes he found her newborn teenage angst and hormones a little…. Arduous. Yes. Arduous. That was a good word…

**Would you like me to explain?**

Wordgirl glared up at the narrator.

"No actually. I'm still mad at you." She turned away and stubbornly folded her arms. Huggy was astounded. Wordgirl **NEVER **fought with the narrator. Sure there was the occasional bantering that provided some comic relief in an otherwise overly cheesy moment but she had never ever, **ever **refused to speak to him!

"What happened?" he screeched (in monkey) to both of them.

Wordgirl brushed more tears away. "I headed out to stop a couple of crimes and ran into someone else doing the same thing. Someone who I'm pretty sure had super powers"

Huggy's eyes widened. _ A new super-hero? _ He thought. _This can't be good._

"I confronted them and…"

**And ended up getting your butt kicked into two walls.**

Wordgirl's glare could've melted ice.

**Sorry.** There was no humor in his voice. For once.

Wordgirl snapped. "What do you mean 'sorry'? You said you were going to 'help' but all you did was watch and then tell me to go home!" The tears were gone now. She was past crying. Huggy slowly backed away from her until his back touched the wall, afraid she might throw something.

**Well, I'm sorry! Okay? I admit I should've been a little more helpful but…**

"But what?"

**But, I wasn't sure what to do! Do you really think I could've done anything to stop them?**

Huggy watched Wordgirl fume for at least a minute before her shoulders slumped and all the fight went out of her. "You're right. I'm sorry." Huggy shook his head miserably. Lately, Wordgirl had been having some issues with self-esteem. She seemed to need a lot of encouragement for simply being herself and took failures a lot harder than she used to. Maybe it had something to do with the hormones again… boy was puberty ever annoying! She was only a few short weeks from starting high school and Huggy had heard some pretty horrible stories about what happened to people in that place…

While he had been thinking, Wordgirl and the voice in the sky had made up and she was now pacing around not realizing Huggy wasn't really listening to her recap the fight. "She moved so fast! And her kicks! No one has ever been able to send me flying like that before! And using only her legs…"

Huggy's head suddenly snapped up. "What did you say?"

Wordgirl was a little confused (and blushed in shame), but she told Huggy all she could remember about the fight and the stranger's omission of hands from the duel.

His mind was reeling. He had not heard of anyone fight like that since… but no….it couldn't be…

"Huggy?" She was staring at him, looking concerned.

"You said she… what was her name?" he sounded nervous and he knew it but made no attempt to hide it.

"I…I didn't get her name…and she was wearing a mask! I didn't see her face…" she looked up to the narrator for help. "I'm not even sure they were a girl…"

**I don't know for certain. But I'm pretty sure they were female…**

Huggy was shaking a little. His heart pounded in his chest. This could mean a lot of things…. There had been lots of people he had known who could've… but his mind kept conjuring up the image of the same person, the same scar…._the scar…._

He looked up. _That's it._ Rapidly, he chattered something to Wordgirl. She looked a little stunned but shook her head and only said: "I don't know Huggy, I didn't get a good look…"

Huggy wanted to scream in frustration. He had to know. And there was only one way he could know for certain.

Just then, an alarm in the ship's cockpit started blaring. Wordgirl glanced at her watch and said something that got her a very dirty look from the narrator. "Come on Huggy. It's time for dinner." Ordinarily, the monkey would've been ecstatic about the prospect of food. But he had too much on his mind right now. In fact, he wasn't being himself at all! He hadn't even scolded Wordgirl for the word she had just used. The narrator noticed this of course but didn't say anything. He was on thin ice already and didn't want to risk upsetting another character. Wordgirl was too busy flying out of the ship back to her house and too distracted mulling over the afternoon's events to notice the change in her side-kick.

Huggy's thoughts were ( for once) far from food at that point. They were half-way across the galaxy, flying through the sky of another planet… thinking of another girl he had once known and hadn't thought about in years…

_It can't be... or could it….? _He had to make sure…

* * *

The librarian loved mornings. The sun just cresting the horizon, the air light and ripe with promise, the city barely stirring as her day began. Ms. Libiri breathed a light sigh as she walked slowly down the street towards the library. _I wish the publishers had accepted my book…. I have such an eye and appreciation for these details….. _ She halted and stared out across the city. _Maybe I should try poetry… _ She shook her head, smiling a little at her fantasies. She had been rejected 5 times; she couldn't put out just another run-of –the-mill book. It had to be special, she needed some inspiration…! And she knew that could never be forced. So instead she just took in her surroundings while she walked to work. It was always so comforting to slowly walk the streets of the city at the crack of dawn, her only companions being the birds, the rising sun and sometimes even Wordgirl as she rushed off to fight crime in the early morning hours. She scanned the sky carefully, but saw no sign of the city's superhero. Ms. Libri shrugged and continued her walk, focusing on the day ahead. Before long, she would reach the library, unlock the door slowly and be greeted by all her wonderful books…. She would spend the next hour all alone, lost in the pages of another precious work of art in that building… she quickened her pace as the building came into view.

Once she unlocked the door and stepped inside, she immediately set about her morning duties, noting the time as she did so: 6:52am. Ms. Libri was off like a sprinter: turning on lights, unlocking doors and preparing for the time when browsers would enter the library to enjoy the words of fellow humans.

The next time she looked at the clock, it was 7:01. _Nine minutes. A new record!_ She allowed herself a little jump as she rounded the end of a bookshelf to head back to the front desk.

She smashed into something hard and gasped a little as she fell over backwards.

"Excuse me."

An unfamiliar monotonous voice sounded from the cause of her fall. Startled, Ms. Libiri looked up at the person she had crashed into, her authority instinctively kicking in. "What are you doing in here? The library's not open yet…" her voice trailed off as she stared up at the stranger.

The teenager answered in a slightly irritated monotone. "The door was unlocked, so I came in." The kid looked around, taking in the endless rows of books and the worktables surrounding the room with a slightly hostile expression. Ms. Libiri could not help but stare at this newcomer as she stood up. The child could not have been older then 17, with long hair pulled back achingly tight in such as way that it would have suited either a boy or a girl. The clothes were no help either: a simple pair of old jeans and a loose black shirt that revealed nothing of a figure. Heavy black boots covered the feet. _ Such a good character description…_ Thinking about characters reminded Ms. Libiri why she had come to work so early.

Ms. Libiri left the intruder admiring the library's file cabinets for her desk and more importantly, her computer. She opened the file containing her latest story idea: two brothers fighting for the love of their mayors' daughter entitled: A Matter of Policy.

She had been planning to add another good chapter or two before the library opened. But the visitor seemed determined to ruin all her plans. Before she had even typed one word, a thick manila folder slammed down on her keyboard causing several words of gibberish to taint the otherwise immaculate document. Irritated, she looked up sharply into eyes so deep she immediately forgot what she had planned to say.

"I need to borrow these."

Ms. Libiri picked up the file and examined its contents.

"I can't let you have these. They're official documents…"

The stranger leaned over the desk but not in a menacing way.

"They're public records, are they not? And it's just for a school project. I only need to see them for a couple of minutes. Just the records from the past two months."

Even though she knew it was probably a bad idea, Ms. Libiri couldn't argue with that. Sighing, she pushed the folder back over the desk, gesturing at the table closest to the desk. She was eager to get back to her book and even more eager to see this distracting and bewildering teenager leave.

"Alright, but you get ten minutes. That's it." She faced the screen again but no words would come. Frustrated, she found her gaze wandering back to the patron as they settled down at a table and cracked open the records.

* * *

The teenager smiled as she cracked open the folder.

Ten minutes. That was awfully generous. It only took two to find what she was looking for. And one more minute to commit the information to memory. She stood up to return the files, smiling sweetly at the confused librarian as she did so. As she turned to leave however, something caught her eye and she immediately stiffened. Ms. Libiri followed the strangers gaze to a small item on her desk.

"What is it? Do you need something else?"

She stood there just a second too long. "No, thank you. I'm fine." Then she turned and sprinted out of the building. Ms Libiri watched her go still a little puzzled and (although she wouldn't admit it) a little disappointed . As she settled back down at her desk she thought to herself she had never seen anyone but Wordgirl move that fast…

Right about then, something clicked. Ms. Libiri's head snapped up. _That's it_. She thought. She spun herself around to her computer. Opening a fresh document, she let her fingers fly over the keys, spinning her new tale: _It was a beautiful morning. The birds were singing, the air was sweet with the scent of late spring flowers and fresh dew. All the inhabitants of the city thought it was the most beautiful morning they had ever seen. All but one that is… on the outskirts of the city, a young woman was running. Running faster than she had ever thought possible. But no matter how fast she ran it was too slow. As she flew down the pavement, she tried to fight the rising tears in her eyes. Because she knew… she knew she was already too late…_

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The next chapter should be up by the end of the month. I hope. Sorry to still leave you with no answers but rest assured, time will tell all

Look out for some other more recognizable characters in the next chapter like *cough cough* Tobey…


	3. Chapter 3: The Friday morning fracas

Well, here it is. Finally. I might've had this up sooner but everyone I know has been trying to keep me very distracted of late. But you don't care about my problems, you care about the story! This scene proved very difficult for me to write and is much longer then I had planned so I apologize for the quality. I also wrote it in bits and pieces so it may not fit together as well as I thought it would. I'm a little on edge about the rating of this chapter so let's call it **M **just to be safe…

Enjoy!

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Chapter 3: The Friday morning fracas

**There was only darkness. And noise. A strange noise. A sort of humming that never ceased; never faltered. She slowly pealed her eyes open. Strong, steel-enforced walls, stars in red and gold. A wide window and through it the stars and the universe beyond. And there was Huggy in the pilots' seat guiding the starcraft towards those stars... **

**A sudden flash, a red light filled the cabin, alarms were blaring…. Something huge passed by the window, blotting out the stars….**

**The ship lurched to the side and she went flying, falling…..the lights, the sirens, the laughter….. her vision was hazy, her thoughts sluggish…. She was going to die…..**

_BWAHHAHAHAH!_

The all-too-familiar maniacal laughter picked up by her super-hearing was the noise that jolted Becky out of a vivid dream on a dark Friday morning. She groaned and rolled over so she could pick it up with both ears. _All this wonderful cheese! And it's all mine! BWAHAHAHAHAHAH!_

Forcing, her eyes open, she focused on the sound. It was coming from downtown. _Why so early?_ She thought sluggishly. She rolled back into her warm covers, fighting the urge to curl up and go back to sleep and shook Huggy. He opened his eyes and let out an irritated squeak.

"Two-Brains" she said and rolled painfully out of bed. Her arms ached from all the hours she had spent in the training room this week. Huggy sighed but pulled the night-cap off of his head and stretched.

Silently, Becky speed-ran to her parent's bedroom. It was so early, not even her father was stirring yet. She gently poked her mother's shoulder. "Mom!" she hissed loudly. District Attorney Botsford mumbled something incoherent and rolled away from her daughter.

"MOM!"

"…you're going away for a long time…! Wha..? Becky..?" Sally Botsford had been dreaming about putting the Butcher away again.

"Mom I forgot to tell you last night….I… um… need to go in early today….for… uhhh…." It was too early to be creative so she stuck with the old reliable. "A science project..!"

Her mom just looked at her, still half-dreaming. "Oh, okay honey… just make sure you…."

"I will, thanks mom!" She power-walked out of the room, leaving her mother bleary-eyed and still a little confused that she wasn't in the city courtroom.. Once Becky was out of sight of her parents, she raced back into her room gathering up her school bag and a pair of clothes to change into in case she didn't have time to come back home before school. She was ready to go within two seconds, costume and all. Huggy, of course was not. He couldn't seem to find his hood and was searching sleepily around the bed. Becky watching him for about 30 seconds before her patience ran out. She flew around the room at top speed, turning her closet inside out, pulling the covers off her bed, even diving under the bed, searching. But she still couldn't find it. She was about to tell him to wear something else when he let out a chatter and pulled it out from under his pillow.

She skidded to a halt in mid-air and gestured wildly at him.

"Come ON! This could be our chance to finally catch her!" **That** was enough to get Huggy moving. He jumped into her arms, still struggling to get both of his arms into his sleeves. Becky grabbed the school bag containing her books and clothes, readjusted Huggy in her arms then took off through her window shouting loudly as she did so.

"WORD UP!" completely forgetting that her brother was asleep on the other side of the thin, bedroom wall.

So T.J.'s Friday morning began quite perfectly, with him waking up to the sound of his favorite super-hero catch phrase as she zoomed past his window.

* * *

As they flew quickly towards the sound of maniacal laughter, Huggy found his thoughts wandering the familiar path back to the enigma of the elusive stranger.

It had been a hard week. Crime had been on the upswing lately with several prison break-outs leading to four robberies (not counting the two on Saturday), a visit from the Energy Monster and two city-wide scams in the past few days. And infuriatingly, no encounters with "the Stranger." There were signs of her of course (she had beaten them to three of the robberies but strangely avoided the fourth) but never a face to see, never a voice to hear. It was driving them both crazy. Huggy was beginning to doubt that it could be who he thought it was. _She would've come right for me….she wouldn't recognize Wordgirl…but then why would she avoid us..? She told me…_

Wordgirl suddenly stopped, hovering and Huggy's train of thought disappeared as he glanced up at her. After that first humiliating encounter, Wordgirl had decided to dramatically increase her training schedule and now spent nearly every free moment practicing battle moves and lifting weights. She was even putting off her homework in favor of training and often had to stay up very late to complete it. She was losing weight and had constant dark rings under her eyes. Huggy knew she was obsessing over the idea of the girl, he had even heard her mumbling in her limited sleep, chasing the Stranger though her dreams…

He was starting to worry about her. This wasn't healthy. But it was hard to criticize her when he felt the same way. His dreams were becoming more and more like memories now. Memories of the girl…

"This has to be it." Wordgirl said. She was gazing down towards the building below them but her eyes darted back and forth, obviously searching for someone other than the villainous Dr. Two-Brains. Huggy looked down and rolled his eyes. _Why does a city with a villain obsessed with cheese build a store called "The International Cheese Emporium?_ Some people just didn't get it. The store was all decked out for the grand opening ceremony that was supposed to happen at noon today but despite the early morning hour, the doors were thrown wide open. The Two-Brains' van was parked precariously on the steps and several dark figures were moving quickly between the doors and the van, carting out pounds of cheese.

Wordgirl let out an exasperated sigh as she adjusted her backpack to sit across both shoulders. "Why does this city have so many cheese-related events?" Huggy just shook his head and shrugged. "Come on." She sounded a little disappointed. Looking around, Huggy realized why. There was no sign of anyone on the street except for the villains below them. The Stranger was not here. Even though he needed to see her, Huggy couldn't help but feel a little relieved. _Maybe I was mistaken…._

Wordgirl waited until the villains brought another load of cheese out to the van before swooping down and blocking the store entrance. Huggy jumped out of her arms and folded his arms at the villain.

Two-Brains jumped a little but recovered quickly. "Oh! Wordgirl it's you!"

"You sound so… relieved." Wordgirl said a little surprised. She kept her eyes on him as she shrugged off her bag and placed it carefully out of sight on the far end of the steps.

"Well of course I am! I thought you were that other crime-fighter, the one who batters people and leaves them unconscious." He glanced around nervously. "ummm, she's not here is she?"

Wordgirl wanted to scream.

"No. She's not here." She managed to choke out in a controlled tone. She landed on the steps and fell into her fight pose, consciously raising her hands and closing up her stance a little. "No more cheese for you Two-Brains! This store is closed!"

Two-Brains was much more comfortable now that he knew his opponent.

"Oh really, Wordgirl? Take this!" He pulled one of his many rays out of one of the innumerable number of pockets his lab-coat seemed to have and fired at her.

She grabbed Huggy and dodged quickly and landed beside the van as the fired net landed on the steps. The henchmen spun around, startled.

"Really? Did you think I'd fall for **that **again?"

Two-Brains sighed as he lowered the weapon. "No I really didn't expect that to work." He tossed the ray into the back of the van. "But that was my last net, so I figured I'd try…"

While he spoke, Wordgirl glanced at her watch. _30 minutes until school. And I still have to finish up my math homework…_ She decided to wrap this up quickly.

"Huggy, plan number 1014!" Huggy's eyes lit up and he pointed soundlessly at the van.

Wordgirl rolled her eyes. "Yes Huggy. **That **plan 1014."

Huggy shrieked happily and leapt into the back of the van.

"What is he…" Two-Brains gasped as the unmistakable sounds of munching came from inside the back of the van. "HE'S EATING THE CHEESE!" His eyes went huge and he began gesturing wildly at his henchmen. "DON'T JUST STAND THERE! GET HIM!" The henchmen looked at each other, shrugged then dove into the van to find Huggy among all the cheese.

Wordgirl couldn't help chuckling as she watched the chaos unfold. She quickly completed the plan by wrapping a distressed Dr. Two-Brains up in the net. She moved to signal Huggy for part 2 (throw Two-Brains in and lock them all inside before flying off to jail).

"Not bad… maybe I underestimated you…" Wordgirl froze as the voice drifted down to her. She forgot all about Huggy and the plan as she glanced upward, her breath catching in her throat. The masked stranger was back, silently crouched on the roof of the van complete with bamboo rod and mystifying smile as if she had been there the whole time.

_She's here._

Two-Brains stopped struggling to escape when he saw the new visitor. But despite his fear of her reputation, he did not recognize her. "Who are you?"

"That's what I want to know." Wordgirl was not going to let this moment escape. She flew up onto the roof of the van alongside the teenager and grabbed the bamboo stick. "Don't move! I have some questions for you!" She tried to sound threatening as she glared but the girl was unfazed.

Her gaze drifted dangerously slowly down to where Wordgirl's hand gripped her weapon as if she couldn't believe Wordgirl was actually attempting to hold her back.

She released her grip on the bamboo and brought her hand down hard on the far end, causing it to whip around, twisting Wordgirl's wrist and causing the other end to whack her smartly on the cheek.

"Fine, but you don't have to be so hostile." She said regaining her grip on the spinning weapon as Wordgirl rubbed her face angrily and glared. The stranger twisted the stick around her arms until it was vertical and planted it by her side. She then folded her arms and gazed evenly at Wordgirl. "Ask me anything. But don't ask something you might regret."

_There's the didactic tone again! What is she trying to accomplish with that? _Wordgirl was losing her cool already. She took a deep breath, trying to focus on just one of the many questions she wanted to ask. But just as she opened her mouth, her super-hearing picked up the one sound she never wanted to hear this early.

_This morning just keeps getting better and better._ She thought sarcastically as she turned to face the approaching robots.

* * *

"Well Wordgirl! I see you beat me here." As always, Theodore MacCallister III (aka Tobey) seemed pleasantly surprised to see her. She only glared at him as his robot lowered him to her eye level, angry that he had interrupted the moment she had been waiting for all week.

The one thing that had changed about Tobey as he entered adolescence was his height; where a few years ago, Wordgirl had had a good two inches on him, he now towered a good four inches above her. He had kept the sweater vests and bowtie but given up the short pants of his boyhood in favor of slacks. He still wore round glasses but the lenses didn't dwarf his eyes anymore. The arrogant way of speaking had remained only he tended to whine a little less. He still caused just as much trouble as he had in the past (sometimes even more) and his robots always showed up at the most inopportune moments.

Before she could say anything however, Two-Brains spoke up. "Whoa, whoa, hold on. Hold on. What is this?"

Tobey shrugged. "My robot army… what does it look like?"

Two-Brains glared up at the boy from his net cocoon. "It looks like a violation. As I recall, at the last villain convention, it was agreed that you would give all villains in the immediate area a two hour warning before you brought any robots in so no one would have their heists interrupted by robot attacks!" He struggled vainly against the net. "Again!"

Tobey was trying not to laugh at the bound –up villain.

"Well Doctor, I hardly think you're in a position to lecture me right now… and I did give you fair warning… didn't you see my Tweet?"

"Your what?"

"My Tweet" He pulled out a phone he had obviously designed himself and began reading from the screen. **"Going to go smash something downtown w/ my robots before school. Let's see if Wordgirl 3 can beat 20."** He glanced up, looking around at the others. "Don't tell me you don't follow me."

Nobody answered. Unfazed, Tobey merely shrugged and reached for his remote. "Well, Two-Brains, you're not really in much of a position to continue your heist anyway, are you?" Two-Brains snarled at him and struggled against the net. Tobey smirked. "So let's get this started then shall we?" His finger hovered over the large button on his master remote. Wordgirl prepared for the robots to spring into action, watching Tobey's finger…

Something moved behind her and she turned as the stranger beside her flipped nimbly over her head. She watched in astonishment as the girl sprung towards Tobey, snatched the remote from Tobey's astonished hand as she soared over his head and then pulled off a flawless mid-air twist and flip to land on the pavement. She realized her mouth was open and she quickly closed it.

"Hey! Give that back!" Tobey was livid.

The Stranger ignored him. She instead tossed the remote into the air and kicked it as one might a soccer ball so it went flying into the base of the robot's skull. There was a slight ringing sound and it dropped harmlessly onto the robot's shoulder. Unfortunately, this meant it was still out of Tobey's reach.

"No fair!" He tried to clamber up the robot's arm up but quickly lost his grip on the shiny metal and slid ungracefully back down onto the hand which was now stuck in an outstretched position. Wordgirl could see his face turning red. "Give it back!" He turned to Wordgirl again as he struggled back onto his feet. "Wordgirl! Make your little friend give it back so we can have **our **fair fight."

Wordgirl broke out of her trance, crossed her arms and answered him huffily "She's not my friend Tobey. I wish you'd stop jumping to conclusions."

"Fine, side-kick whatever. Just make her stop."

Wordgirl rolled her eyes, aggravated and turned away from him. _He's not going to let this go is he?_

A quiet voice interrupted their bickering.

"Why do you do this?"

The stranger's voice was soft as she inquired this of Tobey staring at him with pity in her eyes.

For once, Tobey was at a loss for words. He looked around at his immobile robots posed to tear apart downtown then glanced down at Wordgirl as if she knew the answer. She was too busy scrutinizing the stranger, her quarrel with Tobey forgotten. The girl's gaze followed Tobey's to Wordgirl, her expression unreadable.

Tobey finally found his voice. "I….I ….." he swallowed hard and regained his demeanor "why do you even care? It's none of your business!" His voice sounded strange, as if he were choking back tears.

She was still looking at Wordgirl as she answered Tobey. "Maybe not. Forgive me for my curiosity..." A small smile cracked across her face as she turned to face Tobey again. "But let's not worry about that right now." She looked the robot up and down, the smile widening. "I'd get off of there if I were you." She said to Tobey as if he were doing something very foolish.

"Why?"

"Because you've got about 30 seconds before it falls apart."

"What?"

"That hit I landed wasn't random. That was your robots' main joint connection." She shuffled her feet slightly. "It's going to fall to pieces." She said matter-of-factly.

Seeming relieved that they were now far away from personal topics of conversation, Tobey laughed. "I'm amazed you actually think hitting **my** robot once would do anything."

"I don't think, I know." Despite her annoyance, Wordgirl couldn't help feeling a small twinge of satisfaction at Tobey's frustration with the teenager.

"Well, I hate to break up this little fun-fest, but I'm out of here." Wordgirl jumped at the voice. She had completely forgotten Dr. Two-Brains was still here. He had escaped the net while Wordgirl was distracted by the stranger and the robots. Unnoticed by anyone, he had slipped around the van and jumped into the driver's seat. Now, he started the engine, laughing hysterically. Wordgirl felt the van shudder to life beneath her and was about to yell for Huggy when there was a huge **CRACK. **Distracted, she glanced back up at Tobey's robot.A huge crack now ran from the base of its skull down to the end of its body. Startled (and now a little scared) Tobey leapt down from the robot's hand, landing ungracefully beside Wordgirl on the roof of the van and turned to stare up at his robot. The cracked robot let out a slight moan of grinding metal, than imploded, the pieces raining down quickly towards the group around the van. There were too many for Wordgirl to catch….

She reacted quickly; grabbing Tobey's collar and flying him safely out of the range of his broken robot.

Two-Brains' van however, was not so lucky. Most of the pieces missed the van and fell harmlessly on the street. But one piece seemed destined to be the end of that van. The robot's disembodied head crashed down on the front of the van and Wordgirl had to cover her ears as the windshield shattered and the robot's head ground against the engine block with an ear-splitting shriek. With a bang, the entire front of the van caught fire.

_Oh my god….._

Without thinking, Wordgirl flew forward and fished Two-Brains' limp form out of the wreckage, depositing him next to Tobey. She saw Huggy leap out of the back, dragging the unconscious henchmen with him, a look of confusion on his face and his mouth full of cheese.

"I tried to warn him…" Wordgirl turned. The stranger hadn't moved a muscle while the robot cascaded down around them. The pieces had all missed her as she fell, as if she had known all along where they would land. Her voice was gloomy as she watched the van burn.

She heard a moaning sound and turned back to see Tobey bent over the body of Dr. Two-Brains, checking his vitals. Her heart stopped. The Doctor's face was white and a small gash on his head bled sluggishly. He didn't seem to be breathing. _No, no he can't be…. _She sat down hard beside Tobey as her legs gave out.

"Wordgirl?" Tobey looked at her anxiously.

She tried to breathe, to stop her head from spinning.

"I'm….I'm fine…..is…. is he….?" She couldn't even say the word.

Tobey leaned away from the body on the ground his expression solemn. "I got a pulse and he seems to be breathing regularly. I think the impact just knocked him unconscious."

Wordgirl gasped a sigh of relief feeling a little faint.

"Look, I'm no doctor, but I think he needs some medical attention." Tobey pulled out his phone. "We'd better call an ambulance…"

She raised her head and gestured for the phone.

Tobey glanced behind her. "I think it would be better if I made the call."

"Why do you think that?"

Tobey jerked his head in the direction of the van. "Your little 'friend' over there appears to be wandering off…"

Wordgirl whipped around. The Stranger was back on top of the burning van. Seeming oblivious to the heat from the engine fire she looked like she was preparing to spring away again.

Wordgirl sprang up and dashed towards her, only to be driven back in fear as the fire suddenly surged.

The teenager stood on the roof, her hair whipping in the heat, the smoke making her outline shimmer and sway.

"I shouldn't have come here… it was a mistake…" She stared away from Wordgirl out over the city. The smoke was stinging Wordgirl's eyes. She blinked away tears and coughed.

"You're not ready….. I can't….. I can't do this….." The girl bent her legs in preparation for her jump.

Wordgirl forced her eyes to stay open, forced herself to scream: "Wait!" _I can't let her get away again! _

The stranger turned back, only for a moment and through the wall of heat, Wordgirl thought she saw a look of intense hatred. Or perhaps it was only pain... Then she was gone, a high and wide leap carrying her over the flames and into a nearby alley and disappearing from view.

Wordgirl squared herself to chase only to be interrupted by a familiar and persistent ringing cutting through her focus. First period bell. She looked hurriedly down at her watch. _I'm late! _ _Again._

Wordgirl glanced back at Tobey. He snapped his phone shut as she staggered away from the burning van and walked towards him, still coughing.

"They're on they're way." He gave her a quick once-over as she coughed violently. "And I don't think inhaling smoke is the smartest thing to do." She only glared at him through watering eyes. He shrugged then clasped his hands behind his back and looked at her sheepishly. "I don't suppose…in light of these events…..that I'll get off with just a warning…?" He smiled hopefully at her.

Wordgirl was too rushed and too upset to deal with him.

"I've got somewhere else to be Tobey." She poked him in the chest, eyes still watering. "Just make sure Two-Brains gets to the hospital."

Huggy walked up beside her, still chowing down on the stolen cheese.

"What happened? The van just suddenly lurched…." He chattered.

She turned to face him. "You mean… you didn't see any of that?"

Huggy shrugged as he stuffed a hunk of cheddar in his mouth. "I heard Tobey arrive but the henchmen found me and I had to fight my way through them. Then the van jerked around and I got out of there fast when I realized you weren't lifting it. Why? What did I miss?" He looked from Tobey to Wordgirl to the burning van.

Wordgirl's voice was emotionless as she answered him. "You missed her."

For a second, Huggy just stared at her, cheese hanging out of his mouth. Then he screeched wordlessly and threw his hunk of cheese away from him, fists pounding the air.

* * *

Tobey watched the whole exchange (only understanding Wordgirl's speech of course) with a quizzical expression.

"Speaking of 'her', who was that?" He looked from Wordgirl to Huggy but neither was paying him the slightest bit of attention. "How did she know how to dismantle my robot?"

Wordgirl was still ignoring him (which he hated) and the monkey was pacing angrily. He watched as the monkey glanced up at Wordgirl and began to chatter something but Wordgirl cut him off uncharacteristically bitterly.

"NO HUGGY, I DID NOT SEE HER FACE OR HER ARM. We have to go."

She grabbed him by the arm and zoomed over to scoop up something by the store steps. She shot a final look at Tobey, then a hopeful glance at the alley. Then she took off for school.

* * *

Wordgirl felt tears that had nothing to do with the smoke trickle down her face as she flew away. It was going to be along day…

* * *

How could he have missed her? Huggy was furious with himself for missing his chance. _She'll come back…. She has too…. She wants us….._ He glanced up at Wordgirl. Between the trials of the week and the fiasco this morning, she looked terrible: eyes sagging, limbs shaking, emotions roiling. It was breaking his heart to see her suffer like this. _I won't fail you again._ He thought clenching his fists. _Next time I'll be there. And I'll do everything I can to make sure I find out…_

* * *

Tobey watched his heroine fly away, sighing a little as he did so. _She saved my life…._

It made his heart race just thinking about how close she had been. _Even sleep-deprived and covered in ashes…she's still so… beautiful…..Someday…Tobey….. someday… _He thought, dreaming of that day back in fifth grade when they had spent the whole day together searching for his remote… _Speaking of which…_

His phone beeped at him from his back pocket. As he fished it out, he caught sight of the time: 7:35am.

_Oh crap. I'm late for school again…_ But the realization was nonchalant.

He began to hear approaching sirens and shot a quick look down at the unconscious Doctor. _It might be best if my robots and I weren't around when the ambulance and the police show up…_

Tobey made a quick mental calculation than picked his way through the wreckage of his robot to a spot a few feet from the burning van. With obvious effort, he pushed aside a sheet of metal and scooped up his remote from the ground. He pointed it at the nearest robot and pushed the start button.

Nothing happened.

He tried again. Still nothing.

_It must be that stupid loose wire again…_

He flipped it over and opened up the remote's battery case. It took him a few seconds to realize it wasn't the wire causing the malfunction but something else entirely. There was no battery in the remote.

_She stole my battery….._

He ran through the encounter again trying to figure out when the stranger could've opened the remote and removed the battery without him noticing. _While we were talking…? No… it was already out of her hand…..she must've done it before she kicked it….. but she only had it for a few seconds….._

He found no answer.

Then Theodore MacCallister III did something he had never done before. He cursed.

Now he had to **walk ** to school and he had to leave his robots behind. _Great. Just great._ He thought as he stalked through the debris. _Now I have to deal with police investigations and mother's wrath later too…._

He kicked one of his standing robot's feet angrily received a monster bruise on his foot that only exacerbated the pain in his heart. _Why did she ask me that? Why does she care?_

No one had ever asked him why.

* * *

High above a blue-green planet deep in space, a ship as black as the surrounding universe and easily as large as a dangerous asteroid drifted menacingly.

Joelt gazed out of a small window not far from his station and shook his head. What could possibly be so special about this place? There was nothing here that his home planet did not have and more. Joelt sighed. Ever since he had signed onto this team it had been one wild goose-chase after another, keeping him away for his wife and his son. He wasn't even sure what they were looking for existed anymore. _Maybe the boss has finally cracked. _ He thought as he turned back to face the screens in front of him. _ There's no way she could've ever left the….. _He was distracted by a small flashing light in the upper-most screen he was monitoring. He leaned in, peering…. _No way…. It can't be…_

"What have we got here Lieutenant?" The smell of reeking fish overwhelmed Joelt and he tried hard not to gag. _Great. What does he want?_

"It looks like we have a signal from the planet Colonel Myhad." Even though he knew it was out of line, Joelt had a hard time keeping the sarcasm out of his voice.

"Careful there Master Joelt or I'll have to report you." The Colonel drawled leaning in even further to examine the small winking dot. Joelt grimaced as the stench washed over him. _Does he ever brush his teeth?_ Even though the Colonel was only one rank above Joelt, he liked to lord it over him that he had achieved more than his old classmate had on this team.

Joelt heard the Colonel draw a sharp breath. Myhad turned slowly from the screen to face him. "Have you reported this yet?"

The smell was enough to kill. Joelt fought his gag reflex. "No. The scanner only just picked it up…"

Instantly, the reek was gone. Joelt watch Myhad glide quickly away from him towards a door at the far end of the cockpit. _Great. Now he's going to take all the credit…Stupid flyer….thinks he's above all the rest of us hard-working people just because he doesn't have to walk everywhere…_

Joelt turned back to the tracking dot on the screen, thinking longingly of home…. _ Maybe I can go back now….if we catch her….it's all over….I can go home…_

He wanted nothing more than to see his little boy's face again.

Myhad's heart was racing as he entered the dark chamber. He could only make out a silhouette; outlined by the ghostly light of a single candle, standing by the wide window, possibly staring down on the planet below them. He cleared his throat as he landed on the chamber's floor.

"My lord, we have located a positive signal."

The silhouette moved slightly but he still could not see a face. "You're sure this time Colonel?"

Myhad swallowed hard. "Yes my lord. I saw it with my own eyes." Slowly, he began to lift himself off of the ground, preparing to escape. Dark rooms made him nervous. "I'll assemble a team right away for descent…"

"No."

The hissing rebuff was like a bath of ice. Myhad shivered but managed to keep it out of his voice. "My lord…?"

The figure strode quickly towards him until it was nothing but a shadow before him. He could feel the cold breath on his face as the shadow spoke.

"I must go alone. This is my mission. I want to see the look in her eyes as she dies…as I kill her…"

Myhad could not move despite all his training and discipline. He had heard the boss sound this way only once before.

"Ready my pod Colonel. Make sure I am prepared for a fight." Instantly, the breath was gone. The silhouette reappeared by the window. Myhad bowed and began to drift quickly out of the room, back towards the light.

"And Colonel." He froze, heart pounding.

"Y…yes..?..My lord..?"

"There will be no failures this time. This time, I will take care of it myself. No interference."

"Of course…my lord…" Myhad made an awkward in-air bow then flew swiftly out of the room, already barking orders at the privates, partially relieved he did not need to take credit for this mission.

* * *

The shadow turned and watched the planet again. He hand went to his throat and he stroked a small trinket welded into the flesh of his collar. _Soon, my son. _He thought caressing the implanted object. _Soon…_

* * *

Sorry about ending with another cliffhanger but I really enjoy writing them. I know I said this chapter would have some answers but it kind of got away from me and I had several pages before I realized I wasn't ready to reveal the Stranger's identity yet. I have a much clearer idea about how chapters four and five work out so keep reading and please review! This chapter didn't seem to be as smooth as the first two so please let me know if it was harder to follow.


	4. Chapter 4: The Fight

Okay. I'm just going to apologize in advance for this chapter. Thinking about how it was going to work out and when I'd be able to finish it was making me lose sleep so I stayed up for about two days straight working on it, stressing over it, going over every detail, trying to get it done….. It's also VERY long. But I did manage to get everything I wanted in. Now I'm posting it at midnight because I can't decide if I want it to go up in 2010 or 2011…. so tired… I just hope I don't wake up tomorrow, read it and go: "what was I thinking?"

Enjoy the product of my sleep-deprived mind…

Chapter 4: The Fight

By the time fourth period came around, Becky was beginning to doubt she would make it to the weekend.

Bob had to poke her awake twice during second period algebra and she had just nearly fallen out of her chair in the middle of reading _A Midsummer Night's Dream_. Now she plodded down the hall towards the cafeteria, feeling like she was dragging her aching limbs. On top of that, her emotions were still shot from Dr. Two-Brain's close scrap with death that morning. Tobey hadn't shown up yet either although he was supposed to be in two of her morning classes. His empty seat had been a constant aching reminder of how she had failed.

"I don't know what I'm going to do Bob." She said to the monkey as they headed towards the lunch room. "I can't keep this up much longer…" she stifled a yawn. Bob said nothing. He had been fuming all morning about how he'd let his chance get away. But now the prospect of food was beginning to lighten his spirits. He was about to tell Becky all she could do was take care of herself and wait for another chance when suddenly, Becky was tackled from behind.

Bob immediately spun into a fighting stance but quickly dropped it and rolled his eyes when he saw who the "attacker" was.

"Hey Becks! How's my best girl?"

Becky had to force her heart to stop pounding as she felt his arms embracing her. _Come on, he does this all the time…..you should be used to this!_

She forced a casual smile as he let her go and turned to face her best friend Scoops.

"A little tired actually but glad it's Friday!" Bob rolled his eyes again and left Becky and Scoops alone in favor of getting his lunch. The two shared their usual friendly greeting of a hug that immediately made Becky feel ten times better. As they broke away from the hug, Scoops gripped her gently by the shoulders and studied her face.

"You don't look so good… your eyes are all red…" His face became very serious. "Have you been crying? Who do I have to kill?"

Becky had to laugh at his protectiveness. "No Scoops. It's just allergies." She hated how easy it was for her to lie to him. "And I'm sure you'd know who you had to go after long before I told you anything."

His smile still made her heart flutter.

"You know I'm only watching out for you." He gave her a soft punch on the arm. His eyes suddenly lit up. "Hey. Speaking of watching out…did you hear what happened this morning?"

Becky sighed inwardly as she bit back frustration. "Wordgirl showed up to stop Dr. Two-Brains and the mysterious new crime fighter appeared?"

Scoops looked surprised. "How did you know?"

Becky scrambled to find an answer but Scoops jumped to his own conclusion (as he usually did).

"Darn! It's those sixth graders spreading rumors again! Oh well, I need to call a staff meeting for the paper anyway."

"Why?" Becky asked casually, glad she didn't have to explain her source of information.

Scoops drew himself up importantly. "Because we, the reporters of Woodview MS are going to be on the case next time that masked stranger shows up and we're going to be the first paper to interview her!" He was nearly bouncing with enthusiasm. _Like a dog on a scent…. _ Becky thought humorously.

She was about to tell him to let Wordgirl deal with the situation when she realized how big of an opportunity this could be. _Scoops has tons of people…..someone should be able to get her to say something…. _She might finally have enough answers to be able to sleep again.

"That's great Scoops!" She was genuinely happy for him now.

"I know!" He threw his hands in the air. "I need to go get everyone ready! It's a big job."

He turned to go, then paused and looked back at her. "Will you be able to keep yourself awake during lunch today?" His tone was half joking. She grinned at him and waved him off dramatically. "Go! I'll manage on my own! You go get your team on that headline!"

Scoops gave her a winning smile.

"Got to go! That paper's not going to organize, write and edit itself! Catch you later kid!"

Scoops took off down the hallway, laughing hysterically as he ran and pretending to click an imaginary camera. Becky watched him go, smiling a little.

If there was one person whose interests hadn't changed dramatically in middle school, it was Todd "Scoops" Ming. He still never went anywhere without his writing tablet and reporter's hat but had adopted a more carefree attitude towards his work. But then again, as chief editor of the school paper, he could pretty much work as much or as little as he liked whenever he wanted just so long as the paper got printed on time. He still loved scooping out stories on his own but also tended to sit back and let the "rookies" take a couple of the big ones. It was like he always said "Once I'm gone, someone's gotta be here to get the paper out!" As the years had progressed, he had become a much better friend to Becky as well. Even though he was barely two months older than she was, he occasionally called her "Becks" or "kid" with an almost older-brotherly manner. Becky was glad for the relationship she had with Scoops but there was still that burning desire for something more….

_No._ She thought, shaking her head violently. _I'm not going to risk screwing up what we have. Scoops is my closest friend…_

As she turned to go back down hallway, her shoulder hit something. Or, more accurately, someone. Becky stumbled a little but managed to remain on her feet. The other person however, hit the floor rather hard, the sheets of paper they'd been carrying scattering across the empty hallway.

"Oh! Oh, drat!" The girl on the floor began gathering up the papers, her blonde hair hiding her face.

Blushing in embarrassment, Becky immediately dropped to help her.

"I'm so sorry! I should've been watching…" she broke off awkwardly as she scooped up several papers covered in drawings of flowers and butterflies.

The girl grabbed a thick handful of papers and tried to shuffle them together.

"Oh, it's alright. I just…wait…...Becky?"

_I know that voice…. _Becky raised her head. The face of Violet Heaslip stared back at her.

There was an awkward silence in which neither of the girls said anything. Violet stared at Becky, marveling at how hard this was. _Say something! _She was at a loss for words. She **wanted **to say something. She felt she should say **something. Anything!** But no words came to Violet's mind. To her relief, Becky's gaze dropped back to the papers and she began collecting them again. Violet breathed a silent sigh, glad that the silence was no longer pressing but at the same time, she felt a deep sadness in her heart. _Why is it so hard to talk to her?_ She bent her head and resumed gathering up her drawings.

As they gathered up the papers, Becky thought about her old friend Violet. A lot had changed since elementary school when they had been inseparable and told each other everything (well, in Becky's case **almost **everything). Becky supposed they had started going their separate ways the summer Violet began going to art camp and they saw very little of each other. Then once middle school had started, the two friends found themselves in different classes with busier schedules and no city art class to attend together. They had tried to spend some time together outside of school but Becky often had to cancel plans or leave short-notice when there was an upsurge of crime. She had hurt Violet's feelings more than once because of that. Eventually, Violet had stopped calling her and Becky had stopped expecting the calls. Their friendship became the occasional wave in the hallway or smile of recognition at a public event. It had been so slow and gradual that neither one of them really had any animosity towards the other. They just realized they didn't know each other anymore. Now, crouched here on the floor with her, Becky found it oddly unsettling that she couldn't think of a single thing to say to the closest friend she had ever had that wouldn't sound forced.

Becky reached for a paper only to find Violet's hand was already there. As she pulled her hand away so Violet could retrieve the paper, Becky noticed something glinting on Violet's wrist. It was a golden charm bracelet, Violet's oldest and most prized possession. The gold link was weighed down with dozens of tiny charms in silver and gold but there was one in particular that drew Becky's attention. She felt a pang of nostalgia in her heart as she looked at it. _She still has it…_ The little silver Bcharm she had given Violet as a birthday present five years ago glinted at her as it dangled from Violet's wrist.

She turned away quickly and spotted a paper lying across the hall. As she stretched out her hand towards it, a pair of boots appeared in her line of vision and another hand scooped up the paper.

"Umm…is this yours?" Becky looked up into the eyes of a much older student. She was probably about 17, dressed casually in faded old jeans and a blue t-shirt. Her light hair brushed her shoulders gently as she looked around, seeming a little apprehensive with her surroundings. The girl smiled shyly and offered Becky the paper. Becky took it slowly, not trusting the girl for some reason.

"That's a nice drawing…. Is it yours?"

Becky only shook her head as she stood up and gave Violet the drawing, her gaze not leaving the student's face. "No." She said simply. "I could never draw anything like that. That's Violet's talent." Violet shot her a surprised and grateful smile. Becky returned the smile slowly.

"Wow, that's beautiful." The older student said genuinely, smiling at Violet who ducked her head shyly. The girl pulled a small notebook reminiscent of Scoops' from her back pocket and consulted it briefly. "Are you two students here?" Violet and Becky glanced at each other then nodded.

The girl smiled again. "Maybe you can help me. I'm looking for someone named…." She consulted the notebook, flipping through several pages. "Becky…Botsford. Do either of you know her?"

Becky felt her stomach drop as the girl said her name and her heart stop as Violet made it obvious by looking at her. She hated being singled out and now there was no way to avoid it.

The girl looked pleasantly surprised to find her target so soon.

"Great! I just have a few questions for you." She flipped her book open to a fresh sheet of paper and looked up at Becky expectantly. Becky felt like bolting but she knew that was the worst possible thing she could do right now. So she only swallowed and asked timidly:

"What kind of questions?" Just to be safe, she also threw in: "My mom's the District Attorney!"

The teenager laughed. "You're funny." She said as she gently took Becky's arm and began pulling her away from Violet. ""Don't worry, all my questions are entirely legal and for educational purposes only." She glanced over her shoulder at Violet who looked a little lost. "However, these questions are a little personal." She smiled at Violet again. "Violet? Right?"

Violet nodded.

"Sorry to steal her away from you, but I really need Becky alone right now. She'll catch up with you later okay?" Her smile clearly indicated that this was unavoidable.

"Oh, okay." Violet stepped around Becky and her companion to continue walking down the hall. After a few steps she turned around with a small, dreamy smile on her face. "Bye Becky. It was nice to see you…."

Becky felt her throat tighten. "Yeah. Good to see you too Violet." She smiled in what she hoped was a casual, friendly manner.

Violet's face tightened as if she wanted to say something else but she turned away and hurried down the hall, rounding the corner and disappearing.

Becky turned back to the older girl, yanking her arm out of her grip. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

The girl only laughed again. "I'm nobody. Nobody important anyway." She pulled a pencil from behind her ear and tapped it on the notebook. "I go to Woodview High and I'm going to be graduating soon. I just need you to answer a few short and simple questions for me."

Despite the friendly manner the girl projected, Becky still found it hard to trust her. She took a slight step back.

"Please, this will only take a second. It's for my senior project." The girl's voice was gentle now, as if the shyness was kicking back in.

Becky glanced around her. No one else was in the hall. Against her better judgment, she turned back to the senior and nodded.

The girl smiled again and leaned casually against the lockers, reading from her notebook again.

"Now…. Becky…I understand you're adopted…. Is that right?"

Becky nodded slowly, a sense of dread slowly creeping through her. "How did you find that out?" Not even Scoops knew she wasn't living with her birth family.

"It's on school records." The girl waved the question away and quickly flipped to another sheet in her tablet.

"Do you remember your birth parents at all?"

_They're on Lexicon I suppose…_ Becky couldn't remember anything about her home planet. She just knew what Huggy had told her about her accidentally stowing away on his ship and crash-landing on Earth. _After all, I was only a baby…no one remembers their first year, right? _ Becky still thought about her birth parents occasionally, wondering if they were looking for her, if they were even still alive…

The silence was stretching. Becky fumbled for a normal answer.

"No, my parents adopted me when I was one…. I don't recollect anyone else…."

"Do you know who named you?" The girl interrupted flipping to a new sheet, sounding like she was trying to contain her frustration.

"No, I guess my parents did. Well, my adoptive parents anyway." Becky had never really thought about it….. W_hat __**was**__ my name back on Lexicon? _Huggy had never told her.She somehow doubted it was Wordgirl….

"Do you have any desire to meet your birth parents?" Each question only seemed to make the interviewer more and more frantic… her eyes were hard now and she seemed to be forcing herself to focus entirely on the book in her hand.

Becky took a half a step back. "I…I guess so….if they're still alive and if they wanted to meet me…."

Becky watched as the girl took a deep breath to calm herself and flashed an obviously forced smile before asking the next question.

"What is your earliest memory?"

She couldn't answer this one with a yes or no. Becky felt sweat drip down the back of her neck as she racked her brains for something that sounded normal and convincing. But a little voice in her head kept distracting her, forcing her to ask herself: _What is my first memory? _She really didn't know._ Crashing on Earth? Being found by my parents? Learning I have super-powers? _Now that she was thinking about it, she couldn't really remember anything before TJ was born. But then…..there was the occasional flicker that she would have. Like a half-remembered dream….the details slipping away, the setting uncertain. Something that felt familiar but that she couldn't quite recollect….

She hadn't said anything for a minute or two. The interviewer began to lose patience.

"Something traumatic perhaps? Some kind of disaster? A tearful goodbye….." Her voice choked up and she had to clear her throat before continuing. "…maybe a spaceship crashing?"

Becky felt her heart stop. "Wh….what?"

The girl pushed herself off of the lockers and took a step towards her, all friendliness gone.

"I know who you are…." Her eyes were glinting dangerously. She squeezed the pencil so hard it snapped. "I know where you come from."

Becky backed away faster, stammering.

"I don't know what you're talking about…"

The girl grabbed Becky by her shoulders, gripping her tightly. Becky wiggled but couldn't get free. The girl put her face right in front of Becky's. There was something familiar about her eyes…..

"Where's that little monkey friend of yours? Back at your house? Or maybe in your spaceship?"

Becky was terrified. She wanted to break free. _But then she'll know for certain…_

"Tell me where he is." The voice was dangerous, menacing.

The girl suddenly stiffened and cocked her head, as if listening to something. Becky heard her curse under her breath as she finally let go of her shoulders and turned to look out the nearest window. Becky took a few steps back, feeling shaky all over but relieved to be out of that situation. Her poor heart nearly leapt out of her chest as the girl's gaze shifted from the window to her then back to the window.

"Damn." With one final, hostile glance, the girl turned on her heel and stalked away down the hall, tossing the notebook aside as she did so. After taking several deep breaths to slow her heartbeat, Becky ran to retrieve it. She flipped through the pages, reading at super-speed. Only there was nothing to read. All she saw were lined pieces of paper. _There's nothing written in this book…._

It was then that she heard the alarm going off at the jewelry store. Now Becky was swearing too. She looked at her watch. Twenty minutes. She had twenty minutes to grab Bob, change, foil the heist at the jewelry store and get back for science could this day get any worse? She shoved the notebook into her bag. _Maybe I'll give it to Scoops later… he did say he needed a new one anyway…_

Halfway down the hall, she ran into Bob who was coming out to check on her. He didn't like leaving her alone with any boy for more than a few minutes. Without even bothering to explain, she scooped him up, dropped her bag behind some lockers where she could easily retrieve it later and flew out the window, shouting "Word-up!" as she did so.

_I should at least talk to her…. She was my best friend… _Violet felt terrible leaving things the way she had with Becky. Truthfully, she had never really stopped wanting to be friends with Becky, she had just assumed that Becky no longer wanted to be friends when Becky had kept canceling their plans. She also had the strangest sense that Becky had not been entirely truthful with her towards the "end" of their friendship. _She always gets so fidgety when she lies… and every time she canceled she always seemed distracted… _And then there was Scoops…. Violet shook her head. _They're just friends right? __**Really **__close friends but it's not like they're…. _She rounded the corner to the hallway just in time to see a red flash disappear out the far window. She felt her heart sink. Neither Becky nor the friendly student was anywhere in sight. Violet raced to the window but Wordgirl was already gone. Glancing down, she saw a bag at her feet. It was labeled Becky. _Becky won't like it if this gets lost or stolen… _Deciding it was the least she could do for her old friend, Violet gathered up the bag and went in search of Becky.

"All I'm saying is for someone with "evil" in his name you don't seem very intimidating… or evil."

Wordgirl could hear the Stranger's voice before she even landed to enter the store. _This is it. I'm not letting her get away this time._

She dropped Huggy outside and dove into the store, startling Chuck the Evil Sandwich Making Guy so much that he forgot the snapping retort he had planned.

Wordgirl ignored him and focused only on the stranger. "Alright you! You're not going anywhere until I get some information!"

The teenager looked away from Wordgirl disdainfully. "I'm really not in the mood to talk to you right now…"

Wordgirl wasn't going to let herself be bossed around again. She stepped closer to the girl and looked her right in her deep brown eyes. "Too bad! You're in my city, so you play by my rules!"

The girl scoffed as she turned away again. "That didn't stop me from leaving the last time."

"Well, that was only because you nearly killed someone!"

The Stranger's head snapped around. "He was fine." She said through gritted teeth. "No one was supposed to be in that van. It was his own fault he almost died…" Her fists were clenched and a fire burned in her eyes.

Wordgirl stared back, trying to match the intensity of her gaze. The two glared at each other relentlessly. Chuck took the opportunity to speak up.

"Umm, hey, you guys? In case you haven't noticed….I'm trying to commit a robbery here…"

"**SHUT UP!**" Chuck shrank back pitifully as both Wordgirl and the masked teenager turned to yell at him.

As she turned back to face Wordgirl, the masked stranger caught sight of something by the door and her eyes flared maliciously.

"_**YOU.**_" She turned away from Wordgirl and stared eagerly at Huggy.

Huggy was already in his dueling stance. Just by looking at this girl he knew she was a master of his arts. Even the subtlest of her muscles was well developed and her eyes spoke of wisdom and battle fervor. She looked as comfortable with the staff she carried as she did with her limbs. _But is it her?_ His opponent was wearing sleeves that reached her elbows and a mask that shrouded her features. _The face means nothing; it could be a trick…. I have to see the arm…_

"Finally, an opponent." The girl seemed to have lost all interest in Wordgirl for the time being. She spun her staff slowly as she advanced towards Huggy. The two circled each other like wolves, searching for weaknesses.

"I was wondering when you'd show up. I was starting to worry." The girl sounded like she was taunting him. She narrowed her gaze as a wicked smile cracked across her face. "I have a couple of bones to pick with you…"

Huggy shrieked and threw himself forward, tackling the teenager around the middle. Both of them went flying through the jewelry store window as it shattered under their weight. Wordgirl heard a soft 'plop' as Reginald fainted. The sounds of the fight continued outside on the street.

She gave a very bewildered Chuck a half-shrug, half-apologetic smile then took off after Huggy and the stranger.

Wordgirl followed the sounds of fighting and Huggy's shrieks to the alley next to the jewelry store. Huggy was relentlessly attacking at a blinding speed, but every time he attacked, the other was there to block: staff spinning, limbs flying. Wordgirl knew better than to interfere in Huggy's duels. As she landed in the alley to watch, her foot hit something. Looking down, she saw the black mask under her foot. _Huggy got her mask off…_

The stranger's back was to Wordgirl. Huggy ran forward, aiming for his opponent's knees. She dropped, grabbed him by the shoulders and flung him over her head. While still in her grip, Huggy clamped his teeth down on her right sleeve and hung on. As the girl tried to pry Huggy off, Wordgirl caught sight of her face at last…_It's that girl from school….._ Somehow, she was not surprised. _How does she know who I am…?_

The girl snagged a swinging Huggy with both hands and managed to fling him off of her into the nearest wall. Wordgirl started forward but Huggy sprang right back up, half of the girl's sleeve clutched in his mouth. Furious, he spit it out and threw himself at her again. Wordgirl had never seen him fight this hard. Something in this girl had awakened some kind of hidden strength in him. But she could tell he was tiring.

The girl's foot came around lightning-fast and Wordgirl winced, remembering the kicks she had felt.

Huggy dodged the thrust easily and quickly aimed a punch. His opponent brought the stick up defensively as he was moving, ready to block. But as his fist came forward, Huggy instead grabbed the staff and used it to acrobatically flip himself over his opponent's head. From behind her, he made a mid-air flip and twist preparing to deliver a debilitating kick her neck.

Wordgirl nearly cheered. He'd done it! This move never failed..!

The warrior dropped to the ground and Huggy's kick soared harmlessly through thin air as he began to fall. Before Huggy (or Wordgirl) could even blink, he suddenly found himself slammed into the wall, held there at the throat by the warrior he had just tried to immobilize. Her staff lay on the ground where she had dropped from Huggy's attack and the bright red glow from the speed of her attack faded slowly behind her. Wordgirl caught a glimpse of the path she had followed before it faded from sight: from the ground, she had dashed to the opposite wall, flipped off of it than tackled Huggy in mid-air to slam him into the other wall as quickly as Wordgirl herself did when she attacked criminals. Maybe even quicker.

_So she does have super-speed…_

She moved to fly to Huggy's aid but he screeched at her to _stay back_! He struggled against the fist holding him up to no avail.

The warrior spoke: "How. Dare. You." Her voice sounded strange. "You really think you can use the no-fail-secret-Dárgen attack on the very person who taught it to you?" She tightened her grip on Huggy's throat and moved her face closer to his. "You really thought you could use my own move against me?"

Huggy's head snapped up, eyes wide. For a few seconds they both just stared at each other as if trying to find something. Without taking his eyes from hers, Huggy slowly reached for the arm that was not holding him and tore off what remained of the sleeve. His restrainer made no effort to stop him but closed her eyes as if what he did was painful to her. As the skin beneath the fabric was bared, Wordgirl found herself staring.

Her shield stared back at her. Same size, same shape, same color scheme. Only this star was gold and the shield behind it was blood-red. The badge was tattooed (or maybe carved?) right into the warrior's arm much like Wordgirl's was a birthmark on her chest. Only the warrior's star was no birthmark. She wore it like a battle scar: proudly, but with remorseful memories of the pain it had caused. The symbol seemed to glow with soft golden light and give off an essence of power and wonder.

Huggy spoke in a strange form of his language Wordgirl had never heard before and couldn't understand. The stranger's eyes snapped open and she stared at him. She answered in the same language, eyes shining. Huggy shrieked and the stranger released him. He threw himself at her, tackling her around the middle. The pair fell over into the dust, struggling and shouting. It took Wordgirl a few seconds to realize they weren't fighting, but embracing.

"It's you! It's really you! You're really here!" Huggy was so ecstatic he chattered nonstop. He couldn't believe it was her! He squeezed her tighter as if afraid she would disappear.

"Yes! Yes it's me! Get off of me you great lump and let me look at you!" He could feel her laughing. He released her and let her climb back onto her feet.

He couldn't stop talking. "How have you been? It's been too long!" He looked her up and down several times. "Wow, even after all these years… you look no older than 20!"

She laughed again but with less feeling. "19 actually…"

A look of confusion crossed Huggy's face. Wordgirl couldn't stand being left out anymore.

"Do either of you want to explain to me WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"

Huggy blinked as if coming out of a trance then turned to her as if only just remembering she was here.

"Wordgirl, this is…"

He suddenly froze, staring at something behind her. The warrior turned to follow his gaze, the mirth melting off her face.

A voice that made Wordgirl's skin prickle sounded from right behind her.

"Ah, Shadow. I knew I'd find you if I followed the sounds of destruction."

Wordgirl whipped around and felt her heart stop.

A tall stranger holding a weapon faced the group. He was dressed in a strangely tailored outfit of varying shades of gray and wore a belt that looked like it could carry several other weapons besides the one in his hand. From what Wordgirl could see, he held it like a gun but it was hard to tell for sure what it was.

His hard shoulders bulged against the tight fabric of his other-worldly clothes. He looked like a human. A **strange** human with an oversized head and small, beady eyes but he could've passed for normal in civilian clothes. But what was the most frightening about this man was his expression. He looked like a hunter, a hunter who had just found its prey. Wordgirl never took her eyes off of the gun in his hand as she slowly backed up to stand next to the girl and Huggy.

"Huggensa. Take her and run. Don't fly. Run." The girl muttered frantically to Huggy out of the corner of her mouth, her eyes not leaving the man. Huggy shook his head furiously. She turned to give him a hard stare. "Go!" She hissed desperately. He stared back and folded his arms showing he had no intention of leaving. "Don't do this…" she was sounded like she was pleading now. Huggy twitched but still refused to move.

The man spoke up again. "Why run here Shadow? Of all the planets in the universes, why this one? You'll find no followers here."

The teenager closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath before facing the newcomer.

"I could ask you the same thing. Why are you here? You hate traveling." Wordgirl stared. Her tone was almost _casual_.

The man snarled, obviously offended by the girl's nonchalance. "You know why I'm here….. I'm here to get what my son needs. What you stole from him."

Wordgirl looked up at Huggy's friend and was startled to see pain in her eyes. The girl trembled slightly but avoided looking at Wordgirl.

She spoke gently to the man. "Your son made his own choices….."

"He never would've made those choices if not for you!" His voice was livid and his eyes hard.

The girl only gazed at him, her expression stony and distant. Wordgirl saw the warrior's finger twitch. The move was so slight she hardly even noticed it.

"That's not true and you know it…" The teenager's voice was soft.

The man only cocked the weapon and glared. "No more talk. Talk will not give me what I need. It will not give my son what he deserves." His expression became maniacal. "I've chased you for years… waiting for this moment…. Your knowledge of negotiations will not help you this time…. This time….I've got you….." He let out a cold laugh that did not reach his eyes as he aimed. "Now, Shadow." He nearly spat the name out. "Taste the bitter taste of death!" He pulled the trigger.

Huggy reacted at the same instant the warrior did. He pounced on the bamboo staff and sent it flying as the fist of the girl slammed into Wordgirl's chest, pushing her out of harm's way. By the time Wordgirl landed on the pavement, the staff was back in the warrior's grasp, already spinning. She fell to one side almost as if she had tripped and a crater opened up in the wall behind her as the projectile missed its intended target. She rolled as she hit the ground, springing back onto her feet behind her attacker. A jab in the back with the bamboo staff then a quick uppercut to the wrist sent the weapon flying out of the man's grasp and into the empty air. Before it began to fall, Huggy was there to catch it. After simultaneous flips that put Huggy and the girl back in front of their attacker, Huggy tossed the girl the weapon, smiling smugly as he did so.

She dropped the staff again and weighed the gun in her hand, smiling jauntily.

"Not bad Huggansa. I see you at least remember our simple hand signals."

Huggy gave her a wink and a thumbs-up.

Wordgirl was stunned and (although she'd never admit it) a little jealous. _Huggy seems so, comfortable with her. It's like…. like they can read each other's thoughts…_ Even after over six years of fighting crime together, Wordgirl knew that Huggy and she could never have pulled off a move like that without careful planning, endless hours of practice and then a verbal execution.

_How…? _

"I do believe you made an error, _my lord._" The warrior tossed the weapon from hand to hand tauntingly as the man glared at her, fury etched in every line of his face. "It is terribly inaccurate to use 'taste' twice in a sentence."

Despite her envy of the girl that she was taking her place, Wordgirl couldn't help smiling as she remembered when she had pointed out that same mistake to someone else.

His feet had never hurt so much in his life. _Why didn't I just go to school?_ Tobey thought as he watched his sore feet carry him down the road. He couldn't believe he was actually thinking that. He **hated **school. But after this morning, he'd much rather be sitting in a desk bored out of his mind then wandering the streets aimlessly thinking over and over to himself: _WHY?_

Tobey was still fuming from the events of the morning. Between the defeat of his robots, his thwarted chance with Wordgirl, Doctor Two-Brains' near miss, the prospect of a difficult night ahead and that one question the stranger had asked him…..

His emotions were all tangled up inside him, eating him away painfully slowly. He grimaced, fighting back tears as he strode pointlessly down the street. This was too familiar and too strange, the way his feelings chewed at him. This self-destructive feeling always happened after fights with his mother, or when he thought longingly of his absent father or… or his crush. Or after the dreams…

Walking usually helped but it was never enough. The feelings were always there like a ten pound weight around his neck.

Looking up, Tobey realized he was across the street from the jewelry store. Well at least he was closer to the school then he had been this morning. _Maybe I could go for afternoon classes…_

He crossed the street, looking around in an effort to distract himself from self-pity. One thing in particular caught his eye. _Why is the jewelry store window broken…? _

Then he heard the gunshot.

Instinctively, he ducked and ran. Noticing an alley on his left he dashed for it.

He poked his head around the corner just in time to see the teenager knock the weapon out of the man's hand. _It's her. _He saw Wordgirl there too, lying on the ground looking a little lost, maybe even scared…

Tobey pulled his head back around the corner, heart pounding and head spinning as the group began talking.

_I should get out of here…. And go where?_ _Wordgirl might need help….. but what can I do?_ He couldn't just abandon her. How many times had she saved his life?

Tobey knew he was no good in a fight and he mentally kicked himself for it now. _I have no robots, no weapons and no muscle…. What can I do?_

He was getting frantic, he felt like he was going to hyperventilate. He squeezed his clammy hands closed, trying to think.

_I could get some help…._ He looked around hurriedly. There was no one around to call out too. But he had his phone…

As quietly and as quickly as he could, Tobey dialed 911 for the second time that day and explained the situation to the operator who answered.

"I'm in the alley by the jewelry store and there's a man threatening Wordgirl with a gun. Hurry." Feeling a little better, he silently closed his phone. _Now what?_

He felt like he should leave but he didn't want to abandon Wordgirl and her sidekick against those two…

_I'd better stay and witness what happens…_

Soundlessly, he slipped back around the corner and into the shadows to watch the fight.

The man was speaking to the teenager as Wordgirl climbed back onto her feet. "You forget something. I know your weakness, Shadow. And I always carry it with me."

He shook something out of his sleeve, concealing it in his palm.

The girl took half a step back, and Tobey noticed her push Wordgirl slightly as she did so to keep the superhero behind her. "You know I can fight that off easily."

"Maybe." The man shifted the object to his other hand. "But that was back home. This world is a little different… the atmosphere is thinner, is it not?"

The teenager slowly raised the gun over her head. "Perhaps."

"Well, I guess we'll find out won't we?"

Without warning, the man threw the object at the warrior. She barely had enough time to throw her arm up defensively before it hit her. Tobey winced and closed his eyes, expecting a bomb but all he heard was the sound of breaking glass…

As the vial cracked on the teenager's shoulder, Wordgirl felt as if all the air had suddenly turned sour. Her knees shook and the buildings around her began to spin. _This feels familiar…._

The fine red powder blew over them both like a mist. As soon as it touched the warrior's skin, her muscles seemed to tighten and she froze like a statue, the gun cocked at an odd angle behind her head, her other arm flung out defensively. A puff of the powder blew into Wordgirl's face and she staggered, feeling her limbs shake uncontrollably.

The girl struggled to move but her muscles didn't respond. "Powdered Lexonite." The warrior's gaze darkened. "So this is your idea of poetic justice is it? I must say, it's not very original of you."

"Shut up!"

The man circled her slowly as if he were carefully examining a work of art.

"You're not wearing your jewelry… how unfortunate…. For you of course… on the one planet you figured it would only hinder you…. What do you call that..? IRONY?"

The girl only watched him, her eyes following him as best she could with her head frozen in place. With a snap, the man drew a short blade from his belt.

"You recognize this don't you?"

The girl was impassive. "No."

"Maybe if I hold it a little closer…" he jammed the blade up to the warrior's throat, close enough to let the edge tickle the girl's skin. Wordgirl saw something glinting on the man's exposed collarbone as he moved.

The warrior's eyes flickered briefly to the knife at her throat. "Oh….Of course….. You really can't let things go can you?"

The man snarled and pressed the blade closer. His eyes glinted.

"It almost ended you last time, this time it will."

Wordgirl couldn't keep her feet under her anymore. She collapsed to the pavement with a whimper as her knees gave out. Huggy ran to her, his eyes shining with concern.

"Huggy, I don't feel good…" Her head was spinning. She wanted to curl up close her eyes for a long time…. _He's going to kill her… _She forced her eyes open and up but her legs still refused to move.

The man was staring at her suspiciously. He had practically forgotten Wordgirl was there. To him, she was just another oddly-dressed, weak human on this planet. "What is this, my little friend?" He asked his victim. "A **human **affected by Lexonite?"

The girl struggled to move but her muscles were like marble. "She's not the one you want… leave her out of this…"

"But I'm so intrigued… you know how much I love strange little girls…." He examined the superhero taking in her outfit. He froze as he saw the star on her chest. "She wears your shield…"

Without warning, Huggy sprang into action. He punched the man's knee, causing him to stumble and drop the knife. With a curse, the man jumped out of range, avoiding Huggy's second lash.

"The Air Force Bolt…" The man glared at Huggy now as Huggy stood protectively between the man and the girls.

"Hayensa….?….no…" He looked closer at Huggy. "You're not Hayen…. You must be…" His eyes glowed as they flickered from Huggy, to Wordgirl, to the frozen warrior, putting the pieces together.

Huggy aimed another punch at the man, sending him scuttling back like a spider. He reached the alley wall and leered at them.

"Well, now I know why you came here Shadow… I hope you realize this will be your precious rebellion's and your own undoing… how foolish…" She snarled at him now, trembling as she tried to break free. He twisted something on his wrist cuff that let out a high-pitched whining. "You got lucky this time… you found allies. But you won't make it back home…" The man's outline shimmered for only an instant, then became blurry, then faded entirely with his glowing eyes being the last thing Wordgirl could see before he disappeared completely.

She struggled to her feet, fighting the potent Lexonite. She staggered to the warrior and had to grasp the other girl's shoulder as she nearly fell over again.

"Are you okay?" Both Huggy and the girl were looking at her anxiously. Huggy moved forward and grasped the frozen teenager's leg, staring up at them both.

"Who was that? Why did he had Lexonite? Why'd he try to kilp us?" The Lexonite was still twisting Wordgirl's tongue.

The girl replied bitterly. "He didn't come for us. He came for me. But now that he's found us he'll probably come for you too…... dammit, why didn't you leave!" With obvious effort the girl finally managed to move her empty hand and grab Wordgirl's shoulder as if to support her. But her head and the hand holding the gun remained frozen in place.

"Get this thing out of my hand, will you?" She gestured with her eyes at the gun. She then glared down at Huggy. "And we're going to have another fight once this wears off so I don't kill you now."

Huggy rolled his eyes. "You would be dead now if I hadn't stayed." He chattered simply.

She only huffed and rolled her eyes around to watch Wordgirl tug vainly at the weapon.

Wordgirl had too many questions in her mind and her mind was too jumbled to sort them all out. So she asked the one question that she felt summed up all the others as she tried to open the girl's hardened fingers. "Who are you?"

The warrior turned her intense gaze to Wordgirl's face and this time she was sure of what she saw there. It was pain.

"My name is Sarvavisa Eychanten of the Star from the planet Lexicon. I am also sometimes referred to as the Shadow."

Wordgirl stopped tugging and stared. "You're from Lexicon? **My **Lexicon?" _I knew it was possible…._

Sarvavisa searched Wordgirl's face hopelessly. "You really don't remember me?"

Wordgirl shook her head. "What are you doing here?" The one called Sarvavisa exchanged a look with Huggy who only shook his head sadly and chattered something in the strange tongue again.

"That's no reason to lie to her Huggensa."

Huggy looked away shamefully as Sarvavisa scolded him. But Wordgirl heard him say softly: "You would have done the same…"

Feeling her question getting lost in the secrets surrounding her, Wordgirl asked it again. "Why are you here?"

Sarvavisa's eyes came back around to meet Wordgirl's.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm here to take you home…... Beckyan." This time she said the name with warmth in her voice.

At that moment several cars screeched to a halt blocking the end of the alley. The police commissioner and several officers swarmed out and quickly surrounded them.

"Step aside Wordgirl, we can take it from here." The commissioner spoke in a careful but authoritative tone. The officer closest to Wordgirl moved carefully towards the group of aliens, her eyes never leaving the weapon in Sarvavisa's grip.

"Officers," Wordgirl began, speaking slowly to fight off the effects of the Lexonite. "I appreciate your help but I've got this under control…"

Another officer, a man, took a tentative step towards Sarvavisa who snapped her eyes around to gaze at him evenly. The police officer closest to Wordgirl spoke softly. "Wordgirl, just let her arm go slowly and we'll grab the weapon."

Wordgirl suddenly realized how this looked: she was trying to pull the weapon out of the teenager's hand while Huggy was clinging to the girl's leg and Sarvavisa had her hand on Wordgirl's shoulder. It looked like they were fighting over the weapon.

"No, no, no. I know what this looks like but let me explain…" While she spoke, Wordgirl took her hand off of Sarvavisa's and turned to the nearest officer. Immediately, the police pounced, overwhelming the group through sheer force. Wordgirl was jostled to the outside of the circle as the officers closed in on the teenager. Still weak from the Lexonite, she staggered and tripped over Huggy, falling into the dirt. From the ground, she watched the chaos.

An officer yanked the gun out of Sarvavisa's grip and flung it away from the circle into the shadows. The other officers clung her limbs, seeming oblivious to the fact that the girl was barely able to move, let alone fight anyone off. Sarvavisa only gritted her teeth as they needlessly restrained her. The police commissioner scooped up the gun before he strode up to stand before the group and speak directly to Sarvavisa.

"Stranger, you're under arrest for violating city law number 212: No guns permitted within city limits." Still partially immobilized by the Lexonite, the stranger called Sarvavisa could only grimace as the officers folded her arms behind her back, slapped hand-cuffs on her and led her away.

Wordgirl and Huggy could only watch in dismay as she was torn away from them.

Whew. Well there you have it.…Glad I could get this up so soon. Unfortunately, my life gets much more hectic this month so I don't know how much time I'll have to update… oh well, I'm going to sleep….. if anything was unclear just tell me….… zzzzzzzzzzzzz…..


	5. Chapter 5: Deception and Dishonesty

I'm still here! This month has just been awful for writing. I found very little time to work on this and when I did, I always seemed to get writer's block. So frustrating! Not a great way to start the new year…

And now, on with the story.

Note: I want to correct a mistake I just noticed in an earlier chapter. The librarian's name is **Ms. Dewey **not Ms. Libiri. Ms. Libiri is the lady who works at the bookstore Becky often goes to. The librarian will make another appearance soon and I'm going to call her Ms. Dewey when she does. But it's the same person from chapter 2. Sorry about any confusion that might have caused.

* * *

Chapter 5: Deception and dishonesty

**Later that day, at the police station…. wait…the police station?**

Wordgirl opened her exhausted eyes and glanced upward towards the voice. "Where have you been?"

**I….I was busy! I do need breaks once and awhile…. anyway…. What is going on here?**

She sat up and stretched out her stiff back. "It's a long story…" She wasn't in the mood to tell it.

**I gathered that.**

Wordgirl felt too weary to address his sarcasm. "I'll tell you later…"

**Okay, fine. I'll stay out of it…**

Wordgirl sighed, an action that only made her feel even worse and leaned back against the wall again. In an effort to keep herself from dosing off again she tried to focus on her surroundings. Not that there was much to look at inside the police station anyways. Just monotonous walls and wanted posters really. Despite the hour, it was nearly empty. The officer behind the desk was nodding off in front of the security monitor and occasionally snapping a wad of gum as if to keep herself awake.

Wordgirl and Huggy sat on the long bench at the far end of the station, where they had been waiting for the Warden for what seemed like hours.

"You'd think he'd show us a little more respect…" she complained to Huggy as she fought down a yawn. "Considering all the times we've helped him." When she heard nothing in reply, she looked down at him. "Huggy?"

Huggy was staring at the far wall as if he were trying to look through it. His expression was solemn and there was a crease of worry in his brow.

_He's been so quiet since we left the alley…._ She thought to herself as she left him to his thoughts. _He's probably thinking about how great was to see her again. How __**wonderful**__ it must have been to finally fight with someone who's so… _She shamefully bit back the rising, angry thought; glad no one could hear her bitterness.

**I heard it.**

She glared upwards but said nothing.

**Sorry, I can't help it. Do you want to talk?**

Wordgirl shook her head miserably. _I just want answers._

There was still no sign of the Warden. She glanced at her watch: 3:07pm. _So_ _much for going back to school._ Bored, Wordgirl stuck her hand in her cape pocket and gently fingered the knife she had scooped up as she left the alley. She had never held a real weapon before, especially one that was apparently from her home planet. She gently ran her gloved finger along the side of the blade, shivering involuntarily as she did so. It felt dangerous; razor-sharp edges coming to a wicked sharp point, all of which threatened to draw blood at the slightest touch. The handle was made of cold, hard stone of some kind, meant for the hand of a killer. She shivered again as she felt the icy handle through her glove, the material failing miserably to block the cold. This was a knife with a history. It gave her an odd thrill to touch it so carefully, to risk injury from such a weapon. She wondered what this knife had done… why it had been so important to that man…. what it would feel like to actually use it…

"Wordgirl! Here for some interrogation?" The voice made her jump and she almost cut her finger off as she whipped her hand out of her pocket.

"Warden!" _Finally._ She flew to meet him by the half-asleep desk officer. "No actually, I just wanted to see the prisoner…"

Warden Chalmers adjusted his omnipresent hat importantly.

"Of course, of course. I'll have the boys bring her up to the room…"

"Actually, I'd prefer if she were kept in the cell." Wordgirl quickly interrupted. _I don't want to risk her escaping again…_

The Warden nodded knowingly. "Ah yes." He turned and began to walk towards the holding cells.

"Huggy? Huggy! Come on!" Her sidekick blinked in bewilderment, as if he were just waking up then sprang onto her back. But he still said nothing; the look on his face didn't change. Wordgirl flew slowly after the Warden, trying to pretend Huggy's silence wasn't so unsettling.

"There's no shame in not wanting to be in the interrogation room Wordgirl." The Warden said as he unlocked the heavy metal door that led to the police station prison block. "I get kind of jittery when I'm near her too. She's a real odd-ball. Likes to stare a lot." He slid the door closed behind them with a definitive _slam_. "And considering she attacked you…"

"She didn't attack me! We…"

"But no worries! We're keeping her in our best cell!" The Warden cut her off as he strode past her to lead the way to the holding cells. Wordgirl bit back an aggravated sigh that quickly became another yawn. She was too tired to argue the prisoner's innocence any further. She had already been brushed off by the commissioner and the desk officer since she had arrived at the station. No one seemed to care what she had to say about the inmate.

Warden Chalmers continued down the hallway, not even glancing back to see if she was following.

"'The Block' (that's what we call it) is top-notch in prison security! It's got double bars, no windows or vents for escape, steel walls and secondary stone walls and an electronic lock that only has one key, which I have right here!" He waggled a strange looking electronic card key over his shoulder at her.

"If anyone ever got any close to escaping that cell, why, I'd eat my hat!"

Wordgirl rolled her eyes at the Warden's favorite (and often over-used) idiom, but kept quiet. _It's like he looks for opportunities to do that…_

"Well here she is! 'The Block'." Wordgirl had to admit, it was pretty impressive. The holding cell looked like a solid block of stone with only one thick, heavy door. A small panel at one end revealed the location of the lock.

The Warden walked up to the door and slid back a small panel to reveal a slit.

"You have a visitor." He spoke into the slit then stepped back to let Wordgirl come forward. The opening was right at Wordgirl's eye-level at the height she was flying. She peered through the slit, trying to discern what was in the dim room beyond. She could barely see the other stone walls: dark and completely bare barriers, with no windows and no light source beyond what the slit let through. _I wouldn't want to be stuck in here… _ She moved slightly so the tiny patch of light fell on the far corner of the cell, faintly illuminating a cot in the corner and a still figure seated on it.

"Hello? Hello… Sarvavisa?" She hoped she was pronouncing the name right. "It's me." The figure didn't move. Huggy placed his head right next to hers so he could look through the slit too.

"She's not moving right?" The Warden came up behind them, blocking out what little light they'd had. The figure faded into the shadows. "She's been sitting like that since she got here for the most part. I think she's asleep or in shock or something." He turned away again, straightening his jacket as he did so. Huggy almost stood on her shoulder to look back into the cell, studying the figure as the light returned. She moved to the side slightly to allow him more light.

"Why are you keeping her in there?" She asked the Warden. "It seems a little extreme for a temporary holding cell."

"Extreme? Coarse it's extreme! Uhhhh… what do you mean by that?"

Trying not to sigh in frustration was becoming a real chore. _Haven't I already defined this word before?_ But just as she was gearing up for a definition, Huggy let out a squeak of disbelief. His muscles tensed and he turned to look at her, his eyes wide. "She's gone." he whispered. Wordgirl hurriedly glanced through the slit again, nearly knocking him off her shoulder. The figure in the corner hadn't moved. In fact, now that she really looked at it, she could see odd bumps and the face looked rather featureless... When she realized what it she was looking at she had to stifle a gasp. It was a dummy made of carefully arranged pillows and blankets.

"Wordgirl? What is it?" The Warden stepped forward and bent towards the slit. Huggy quickly slid the panel shut with his foot and chattered quietly into Wordgirl's ear.

She stared at him, shocked. "Huggy…"

He yanked on a piece of her hair to shut her up. "Just say it." He whispered.

Wordgirl turned back to the Warden and fought to keep alarm out of her voice. "I guess she's asleep so we'll have to come back later." She swallowed a nervous lump in her throat and tried not to fidget. "How long before she's moved to the prison?"

To her enormous relief, the Warden didn't seem to have noticed her lie. "We'll keep her here until the trial, which'll probably be tomorrow."

She nearly fell out of the air. "TOMORROW?"

The Warden only shrugged. "Surprised me too. Apparently, the city pushed this hearing up due to public unrest about the case. And I can't say I blame them." He shot a hateful glance at the door to the empty prison cell. "I don't want a maniac like that anywhere but in a prison cell!"

Huggy tugged on her hair again and motioned towards the door to the police station. His meaning couldn't have been clearer: _Time to go._

"Thank you for your time Warden, but Huggy and I really need to get going now." The Warden nodded and began to walk back towards the lobby. "If you want to see her, just come by the trial tomorrow afternoon. I'm sure you'll be called on to testify anyway." She barely listened as he chattered on and on about details of the case, she was so eager to leave.

The journey back to the entrance seemed twice as long this time. Wordgirl forced herself to walk so the temptation to fly away at top speed wouldn't overcome her.

"Don't worry Wordgirl." the Warden said as he closed and locked the heavy door to the prison block again. "As long as we have your testimony and the District Attorney, that prisoner's going to be put away for a long time!" He waved, and then walked over to the desk.

It took almost all her control not to dash off at top speed right then and there. She walked painstakingly slowly to the door and outside. Once she left the station, she finally launched herself into the air to begin her search.

An immediate scan of the area around the police station showed nothing. Wordgirl flew in bigger and bigger circles around the buildings, her eyes darting, hearing strained for any clues. Nothing. Not even a whisper. Huggy sat quietly in her arms, not even attempting to help her look. After several minutes of fruitless searching, Wordgirl stopped her mad dash and hung in the air above the buildings, scanning the empty, nearby rooftops. "Where could she have gone Huggy?"

The reply she got was not what she wanted to hear.

"Knowing Sarvavisa, she just couldn't stand to be cooped up in that tiny cell for so long so she picked the lock and escaped." The admiration and humor in his voice finally got to her.

Wordgirl swooped down onto the nearest roof and dropped Huggy none too gently. As he squeaked in annoyance and brushed himself off, she floated in front of him.

"You're going to tell me what's going on."

Huggy looked up at her, his eyes wide. He shrugged his shoulders hopelessly.

"Honestly, I don't know."

Wordgirl was in no mood for games.

"I know that's a lie. You know something." She flew so close to him that their noses almost touched. "What did Sarvavisa mean when she said you had lied to me?"

Huggy squirmed and looked away from her. Wordgirl flew around so he was forced to look at her again and folded her arms.

"Huggy. Someone just attacked me with Lexonite and a person I've never met before is claiming she was part of my past. I need to know what's going on."

Huggy stared away over the buildings as if he were admiring the way the light hit them as the sun slowly sank towards the ocean. He sighed and barely whispered: "I shouldn't tell you…"

"Why not?" She tried desperately to keep the bitterness out of her voice.

Huggy sighed and adjusted his cap. "For one, I don't know the whole story…"

"I don't care. Tell me what you know."

Her sidekick swallowed hard and shuffled his feet. He didn't look at her as he replied.

"Well, for starters, I didn't tell you the truth about how we got to Earth."

Wordgirl drifted down to stand next to him on the roof. "Why? What do you mean?"

"The story I told you when we met was a fabrication."

She could feel her blood pounding in her ears. "So that story you told me, about me crawling into your ship? That was a lie?"

He looked down shamefully. "For the most part, it was true…" he muttered.

"For the most part…?"

"You didn't exactly 'crawl' into my ship." He looked up at her. "I carried you."

Wordgirl took a step back not believing it. Her best friend, her only companion from her home planet, (her **sidekick**!) had lied to her. For years, she had placed her complete trust in him. How many times had he saved her life? And she his? And all that time, he was keeping secrets from her. Willingly keeping her in the dark, hiding secrets about her past he could have easily told her.

Huggy said her name as she moved away from him. But he didn't say "Wordgirl" or even "Becky."

"Beckyan?"

Just saying that made her feel even more betrayed. _**That's not my name!**_

He didn't even seem to notice his mistake. _If that little detail was so hard from him to admit, _w_hat else could he be hiding?_ Wordgirl took a deep breath to stop her voice from shaking.

"Why would that matter? Why didn't you just tell me that?"

Huggy sighed again. "It's a little more complicated than that… I… I didn't want you to have to worry about it…"

"So instead….. for all….all these years….. all this time….. you've been lying to me?" She couldn't stop the anger from rising in her voice. "Why?"

Huggy strode towards her, hands outstretched apologetically. "I wish I could tell you the whole story but I don't know it! Something I cannot comprehend has happened…"

Wordgirl jumped into the air to avoid him. She ignored the look of pain that shot through his eyes.

"Why would you lie to me?"

He stared up at her, arms still outstretched. "To protect you." He said simply.

"Protect me from what exactly?"

"From her."

He said it bitterly but she wasn't fooled. She could still see the way his eyes lit up when he thought about the girl.

"What does she have to do with why I'm here? Is she trying to kill me or something?"

"No! I…. she….. just….. I don't know!" He finally put his arms down and looked away from her. He paced, obviously aggravated, for a few seconds before he spoke again. "It's been 12 years since I've seen or heard from her… so much could have changed and yet it also seems like so much hasn't… " he smiled thoughtfully and stopped walking, facing the setting sun. "She's still the same Sarvavi…."

Wordgirl felt like her blood was boiling. Her face felt like it was the same color as her outfit. Before she could stop herself, she opened her mouth. "Well it must have been nice to finally fight with her again as opposed to me." She barely recognized her own voice, it was so bitter. She turned away from him so she wouldn't have to see his face. "Why don't you just go find her and you two can talk all about the home I've never seen and the lies you've made me live."

"It's not like that!" She heard him shriek desperately. Knowing she would regret it, she turned around and gave him a death-stare.

"Go be her sidekick Huggy. It's obviously what you want!"

Wordgirl sped quickly away from the roof, her tears catching in her throat, too hurt to look back. The look on Huggy's face as she left him behind haunted her all the way home.

* * *

This was supposed to have a lot more happen in it but it was just getting way too long so I split it in two. Luckily, I'm almost done with the second half so hopefully I'll have it up soon! Please review!


	6. Chapter 6: Impostor?

This is the 2nd half of 5. But I'm just going to call it 6 to avoid any confusion. It's plenty long enough...

Once again, I have to thank my reviewers. THANK YOU! It always brightens my day to see an email alert that says: ": Review Alert." To all those who have reviewed, I love you! Your comments mean so much to me as a writer and a person! Please know that it's nothing personal if I don't respond, usually I just don't know what to say...

These chapters almost never end up being as short as I plan. Usually I'm like: "oh this will be a short scene!" but then as I write I get all these ideas and before I know it I've got several pages. If people really hate long chapters just let me know and I'll try to divide them up more. I just have this delusion that this story will be under 20 chapters... doesn't look like too promising of a goal right now...

Anyway, (sorry for ranting there) here's chapter 6 (but it's really 5 1/2).

* * *

Chapter 6: Impostor?

He knew he deserved that glare. But that didn't make it any less painful. _It's what you get for lying to her all these years._ Huggy thought bitterly as he watched his charge fly away, probably heading back to the house. He walked to the nearest fire escape to begin his descent to the ground. _Should I have told her the truth? _ He had only hidden the story from Beckyan because of his uncertainty about ever returning to Lexicon and having to face the inevitable...

And because he thought he could deny it.

_She's just a child…. She shouldn't have a burden like that on her shoulders… _He had experienced first-hand just how much that burden affected its carrier. _We never wanted her to have to suffer with that. You said it yourself Sarvavi, 'her life will not be like mine… I will protect her until the day I die…' _Captain Huggensa reached the ground and stared in the direction he knew Sarvavisa would be. _So that's what I've been doing, sister. I've fulfilled your promise for you. That's why I came back to her when she began to discover the extent of her gifts. I've taught her and guarded her all these years…. She doesn't have to fight for survival everyday on Earth….. She is safe here… So why do you want her to come home?_

Huggy shook his head as he thought of Sarvavisa. He had always trusted his friend, even in her worst moments and most irritating moods. She did everything for a reason. But it had been so long. _How is she still so young? Can I still trust her?_ Huggy began walking towards the spaceship hideout, knowing these questions that had occupied his mind all afternoon would continue to plague him all night as he tried to sleep alone. _When you sent her away, I promised you I would keep her safe. And I did. She has no idea what's waiting for her back home… she knows nothing of the prophecy… and nothing of you._

Huggy stopped and stared up at the slowly emerging stars. _Sarvavi, I hope you know what you're doing…_

* * *

By the time she reached home, the sun was just kissing the horizon. Wordgirl dove behind the bushes that divided her house from her neighbor's, glad very few people would be out at this time.

Closing her eyes, she pressed two fingers to the star-shaped mark on her chest. She felt the familiar warm, bright light envelop her and quickly sink into the birthmark, changing her back into her human disguise. She sighed and rubbed her eyes. Changing back into Becky always made her feel like she was trying to force herself into clothes that didn't fit. Changing into Wordgirl was always so liberating compared to this… like taking a lengthy, casual flight after a long, stressful day. _Wish I could fly casually now. _She thought as she climbed out of the bush, brushed a few leaves from her hair and walked across her yard, seeming to all the world like a normal teenager.

_All I want to do is get to my room and go to sleep…._ Becky was already planning where she would look for the escapee first once she was fully rested. Maybe she would finally sleep tonight now that the Stranger had a name. _Sarvavisa Eychanten….. I wonder where that comes from..? And what it means…_

As she turned the door handle, she suddenly realized what she had forgotten. Her bag was still in school. _How am I going to explain today…..? _She wondered, trying desperately to think of a viable excuse for why she had skipped most of the school day, lost her school bag and come home so late. She got nothing from her worn out mind. Wiping tears from her eyes for the millionth time that day, she opened the door and stepped inside.

"Well look who's finally home." Her little brother T.J. was seated casually on the family couch, watching TV. "Did you finally remember where you live sis?"

Becky ignored his banter and looked around the empty house. "Where is everyone?

T.J. was smiling at her in anticipation. "In the back room. What did you do?" He asked eagerly.

"What?"

His smile became a barracuda grin. "Mom and Dad are meeting with someone from school right now. You're gonna get it…." Even at age 10, T.J. still loved harassing his "perfect" older sister whenever she got in trouble. Becky didn't even bother to make a face at him as she walked away. She was really nervous now.

The "back room" was the only room in the Botsford house that didn't technically count as living space. This was because no one ever went in there. Unless of course, there was a very important visitor.

_The school must've sent someone to inquire about my absence… _She had never been in trouble this serious before with school. Becky walked slowly past the stairs, heading for the infamous room. _What am I going to say? _Usually, Bob/Huggy was the one who came up with the most convincing excuses to cover up for her escapades as Wordgirl. _But he…. _She pushed the thought away. Thinking about him was just too painful right now.

She stood outside the door, trying to calm down. She could hear quiet voices on the other side but couldn't distinguish them with her super-hearing unfocused. She took a deep breath. _I guess I'll just have to hope for the best… _

Becky knocked quietly on the door and pushed it open.

"Hey guys. I'm sorry I'm so late, I just…" But Becky couldn't finish her sentence because her voice had just locked up in shock. Seated between her parents on the room's large couch, smiling calmly at her was Sarvavisa Eychanten.

* * *

"Becky! So glad you finally arrived!" Sarvavisa covered Becky's obvious shock with a welcoming tone, like they were old acquaintances meeting unexpectedly. "I was just telling your parents all about the program you've been selected for!" Her raised eyebrows told Becky not to say anything. Not that she could've said much if she had wanted too. Her mind had frozen, her thoughts were incoherent.

"It sounds like so much fun Becky!" Her mother said cheerfully, oblivious to her daughter's astonishment. She patted the alien's leg like they were old friends. "Sara here was just telling us all about the wonderful times she had the summer before her freshman year in this program."

"A 'Jump Start to High School Program'…. I wish I'd had one of those…" her father said longingly, smiling nostalgically as he often did when he thought of his high school years.

Becky stared at each person in turn, trying to figure out what they were talking about. _Sara? Jump Start to High School? What?_

Sarvavisa/Sara smiled warmly at her parents. "Thank you so much for meeting with me, Tim and Sally. It was a pleasure talking with you. If you don't mind, I'd like to be alone with Becky for a little while to discuss some details of the program."

"Sure thing!" Sally Botsford stood up and walked towards the door followed closely by her husband. "Nice to have met you Sara! We'll be in the kitchen if you need anything!"

Sarvavisa smiled again at the adults. "It's really up to Becky now. I just wanted you guys to know about it before she makes her decision."

Tim Botsford gave his stunned daughter a friendly tap on the shoulder as he walked past her. "I'm sure she'll make a good choice. We raised her well!"

The impostor's smile slipped a little at that comment but she quickly regained her composure and held it as the adults left the room. The second the door closed behind them, her gaze shifted to Becky and the smile faded off her face. They both just stared at each other for at least a minute. Becky didn't know if she should say something or be on her guard. After all, this was the same girl that had kicked her around last week. But, she was also the one that had saved her life that afternoon. _What does she want…..?_ Before Becky could make her decision, Sarvavisa broke the silence. "Beckyan…." She said quietly. One of her eyebrows twitched and suddenly she was at Becky's side in a red flash of light, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"Thank the spirits you're safe…" She murmured in an anxious voice, squeezing Becky like she never wanted to let go. Becky didn't move even though there was no one she wanted to be held by less at this moment. Her mind was still trying to put everything together.

Becky just stood still, arms at her sides and let the Lexiconian hold her in a close, sisterly embrace as she looked at the girl embracing her. The disguised warrior was wearing the same jeans she had been arrested in a few hours earlier but had somehow acquired a new shirt and managed to clean herself up a little since the fight in the alley. The strange scar on her arm was concealed by her sleeves. With no staff or mask and a somewhat friendly expression on her face, she looked completely human.

Sarvavisa finally let her go and held her by the shoulders as she peered at Becky. Her grip was much more relaxed then it had been that morning as she examined Becky.

"I never thought you'd be this old the next time I saw you…" Her hand twitched as if she was going to stroke Becky's hair but she caught herself mid-motion and quickly pulled her hand back.

Becky finally came out of her stupor. She shook the hands from her shoulders and took a half step back so she could look her companion in the eyes.

"I still want those answers you promised me this morning."

Sarvavisa sighed. "Of course…" she turned and crossed the room to sit back down on the couch. She patted the seat next to her invitingly. "Keep in mind I don't have too much time." She gave Becky a welcoming smile. Becky walked closer to the couch but didn't sit down. Instead, she folded her arms and stood above Sarvavisa trying to feel intimidating.

"First off, what are you doing here and how did you manage to break out of the highest-security cell in the city?"

Sarvavisa only laughed incredulously. "**That** was the highest-security cell in this city?" She shook her head. "No wonder they need a Lexiconian to help keep the peace…"

"How did you get out?"

The girl gave her a funny look. "Through the door…" She said with a perfectly straight face.

Becky ignored the statement, trying not to get annoyed. "But how did you open the lock? It's electronic…"

The escaped inmate pulled something from her pocket and waggled it tauntingly. Becky followed its motion with her eyes until she recognized what it was. _It's a…. battery..?_

"Thank that robot-boy next time you see him. But don't tell him why…" The visitor slid the battery back into her pocket and folded her arms easily behind her head.

_Does she mean Tobey…..? What….? Was that his battery? When did she get that…?_ Becky felt like she was playing a guessing game that never ended. She decided the story wasn't worth pursuing at this time.

"Why are you here?"

Sarvavisa stopped smiling and gazed at her with an unreadable expression. "I'm giving you some assurance."

"What?"

"I'm making it easier for you to leave." She sat up and folded her hands on her lap. "The 'Jump Start to High School' program doesn't exist. I created it." Sarvavisa stood and slowly paced up and down the floor. Becky stayed where she was and watched her, trying to figure her out. The warrior's face was youthful but the eyes spoke of wisdom and age. She walked with purpose, even though she was going nowhere.

"Basically," Sarvavisa continued. "a few 'lucky' incoming freshmen get partnered with graduating seniors who spend a few weeks with them, showing them the ropes, teaching them skills, getting them ready for high school. It's all very prestigious and best of all, completely city-sponsored!" She exclaimed with the air of a cheesy salesperson. "Your parents think you're getting a great opportunity and an excellent way to spend your summer." She said reverting back to her normal voice. She finally stopped pacing and looked at Becky. "This way you don't have to worry about people here asking where you are when you leave…." She swallowed slightly and her look became a little anxious. "It'll keep your parents happy."

Becky tried to think of something to say. She still didn't even know why this girl wanted her to go home so badly. _Why is she trying to be so careful about it? _"Why would you even talk to my parents? You know my mom's the one that's going to be prosecuting you tomorrow?" Becky asked Sarvavisa.

The alien seated herself back down on the couch with a chuckle. "Well seeing as she hasn't noticed that you're Wordgirl in all these years, she probably won't recognize me tomorrow."

Instinctively, Becky looked around as her secret was mentioned, making sure they were alone. Something between a laugh and a sigh escaped her companion and Becky felt herself blush as she turned to look at her again.

"But why?" Becky had to ask. "Why not just take me away without a reason?"

The smile fell slowly off of Sarvavisa's face. "I would never do that to any family." She said with startling serious. She sat forward grimly on the couch. "This way your 'parents' will have a reason for your absence… for awhile at least…. A little bit of a buffer…. In case you choose not to come back…" Her voice got softer as she spoke, like she was trying to gently offer advice. Her eyes shone with concern.

Becky turned away from those deep eyes, trying to collect her whirling thoughts. _Choose not to come back….? _The program was just the kind of thing her parents would like. It sounded like a great excuse. There was only one problem.

"And what if I don't want to come with you in the first place?" She asked fighting the anger in her voice as she turned back to the visitor. _Does she really think I would just leave? Just like that?_

The deep eyes dropped to the floor. "I understand you have a life here…. That's why this is so hard for me…." The girl gazed towards the wall blankly. "I wasn't expecting this..." She sighed and looked up. "I can't force you to come home… ultimately, that's going to have to be your decision." Her voice became serious again. "But it's no longer safe for you to be here."

"And is that because you led that man here and he found me?"

The girl seemed hurt by the irritation in her voice. "Beckyan…."

"Why do you keep calling me that?"

Sarvavisa gave her a puzzled look. "It's your name…"

"Just call me Becky then! It's close enough!"

"No it's really not." Sarvavisa said, almost sounding humorous.

"What do you mean?"

"It's a matter of respect and definition. 'Becky' is your first name and the most general thing I could call you. By referring you to you with your sur-suffix 'an' added on, I define you more. If I wanted to define you completely I would include your tribe name too. It's how everyone is named back on Lexicon."

Becky was quiet and felt like she blinked several times in the silence that followed. "What?" she finally asked, feeling like a simpleton.

Her companion's gaze immediately darkened. "This is worse than I thought… what happened to you?" she asked sadly.

"Sarvavisa…"

The girl waved the statement away. "You can call me Sarvavi actually. It's simpler and less formal."

"Why? Didn't you just say…?"

"The suffix 'sa' is different in nature from a sur-suffix." Sarvavi interrupted sounding like she had explained this a thousand times. "It's a term of respect. It means that I was granted master status by the temple I trained at. In my case, that was the 'Sa Monkey temple in the West Mountains." She raised her chin a little. "Only the best students are granted that honor." She smiled at Becky. "Your sidekick was among them."

Becky looked up in surprise. "Huggy….?"

"Yes. His name is Huggen but because he excelled in training he was granted the honor of master. Hence: Huggensa." She chuckled a little. "But Huggy was my nickname for him…"

She looked around as if only just realizing Huggy wasn't there.

"Where is he?"

Thinking about Huggy made Becky bitter again. "I left him behind when he wouldn't tell me the truth."

Sarvavi shook her head sadly. "I know he lied to you but please don't be so hard on him." She urged Becky gently. "Try to imagine what today has been like for him."

"I wish I had the slightest clue." Becky said flatly.

A flicker of pain passed through the eyes, so quickly Becky thought she might have imagined it. There was no hint of it in the girl's voice as she said: "I know this is all very confusing right now but I promise I'll explain everything when I can."

Becky tried to glare at her. She hated all this waiting. "And when will that be?"

"Not tonight that's for sure. I have to be back in my cell in five minutes." She stood as if to leave, her eyes never leaving Becky's face. "And you look like you could use a good few hours of sleep if you ask me."

Becky tried to respond but all that came out was a humongous yawn. She had forgotten just how tired she was.

"The most important thing right now is keeping a low profile so you stay safe." Sarvavi continued, still watching Becky carefully. "That's why I don't want you testifying at the trial tomorrow." Her voice became soft again. "It would be better if you didn't come at all actually…"

Becky looked up in alarm, exhaustion momentarily forgotten. "But what about…?"

Sarvavi gripped Becky's shoulder and stared into her eyes. "Trust me. I'll get us out of this. Just promise me the 'city superhero' will be nowhere in sight tomorrow at the trial."

Against her better judgment, Becky nodded. A look of relief spread across Sarvavi's face, softening her features. "Thank you." She said softly. She squeezed Becky's shoulder once before letting it go.

"I need to get back for role call… otherwise you might find yourself 'chasing' me down…"

As she turned to leave Becky grabbed her hand. There was one more question she had to know the answer to tonight. "Who was that man and why did he want to kill you?"

Sarvavi didn't look at her as she answered. Becky was beginning to hate that habit of hers. "That was Lord Inexpert of the Eastern Academe City from Lexicon." She sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Let's just say he's not known for his jolly attitude and admirable discretion."

Becky wasn't satisfied. "But why does he hate you?" She pressed.

Sarvavi thought for a moment before answering.

"Apparently, I get under his skin…" she said casually.

"But what about his son…?"

"That's just his excuse for hating me."" Sarvavi said sharply, shaking her hand out of Becky's grip. "Now sorry, I have to go." She left the room without glancing back, pulling the door closed behind her with a snap. Becky heard her footsteps retreating quickly towards the front door, and then the distant sound of it closing as the strange impostor left. Becky stood there a little while longer, thinking over the strange conversation she had just had. _I waited all week for this chance… what did I get from this_? Not much. Just more questions and a choice she couldn't possibly make. Becky still felt no better than she had before she had entered the room.

Fighting a head-ache, Becky walked back towards the kitchen.

"Becky why didn't you tell us about this?" Her mom smiled at her as she stirred a large pot on the stove. It took Becky a few second to realize someone was talking to her. She attempted to smile at her mom.  
"Honestly mom, it's all just happened so fast…." Her mom chuckled quietly and patted her daughter affectionately on the head. Becky bit her lip as her mom turned back to the stove. _How much longer can I keep lying to them? When will I not be able to stand keeping secrets from them? _Six years. Six years of a secret, second identity. And her family still had no idea.

"Dinner's ready!" Her father called, even though the entire family was already in the room. He began setting the table. The sweet smell of sweet-potato-succotash-surprise wafted from the large pot as Tim Botsford carried it carefully to the table. Becky knew she should have been hungry, but the appetizing smell only gave her a funny taste in her mouth. She turned to leave, thinking about the bed waiting for her upstairs.

"Hey Becky, where's Bob?" Her father asked as he set out the last of the plates.

"He's on a date." Becky said, the lie slipping out effortlessly in a barely concealed monotone. She continued towards the steps like a zombie.

"Becky don't you want dinner?" her mother called after her.

Becky stopped and turned around. "Actually, I think I'll just go to bed mom."

"Are you okay sweetie?" The concern in her mother's voice sent a pang through Becky's heart.

"Yeah just really tired. It's been a hectic week…" she managed to say casually.

Like all her other lies, her mother bought it. "Okay hun. Feel better! We've got a big day tomorrow!"

"Why, what's tomorrow?" Becky asked, confused.

Sally Botsford's eyes immediately widened. "The trial for that mad gun-woman of course! You are coming right? Going to watch your mom present the case of her career?"

Without thinking, Becky nodded. "Sure mom, I'll be there."

Becky turned to leave but her mother called out to her again.

"Oh Becky by the way, Violet left this for you!" Becky turned. Her mother was holding up the missing backpack from that morning.

"Violet?"

"Yes hon. She said you left it behind when you met up with Sara so she figured she'd take care of it for you." Becky took the bag.

"She did?"

Her mom nodded and smiled. "She also told me to say hi to you for her!"

Her mother planted a wet kiss on her cheek then went back into the kitchen. "If you get hungry later the leftovers will be in the fridge dear!" Becky didn't answer.

She dragged herself up the stairs to her bedroom one by one, too tired to even attempt to fly, until she reached her bedroom door. Closing it softly behind her, she turned the bag upside down and shook it until it was empty. Her books and pens spilled out across her floor, creating a strange mosaic of school work on her carpet. A single, loose paper caught her eye and she turned it over. A small, beautiful, hand-drawn flower stared up at her from the sheet. At closer examination, she realized it was a violet. As she gazed at it, Becky didn't know whether to smile or cry. _Violet…_

Becky dropped the bag and the drawing at the corner of her bed and fell fully-clothed onto the tangled but unbelievably soft sheets. A long sigh escaped her.

It had been such a long day. Her body ached in ways she did not even think was possible and her eyelids seemed glued shut. Yet sleep would not come. Her mind was still reeling.

_Was it really just this morning that I fought Dr. Two-Brains?_ The fight that morning had seemed like a week ago. _ I wonder what happened to him… and….. Tobey…_

Her mind refused to focus. She curled up on her bed, the absence of Bob's comforting warmth beside her weighing heavily on her heart. Not having him by her side was like having a limb chopped off. It was unsettling and sickening. But she wasn't ready to forgive him. Not yet. She just didn't know enough. _ I wonder if he's okay…._

Exhausted but unable to relax, Becky sat up and stared out of her window, watching the last rays of sunlight fade and the moon slowly replace the sun in the sky. The stars winked to life one by one as the blood-red light of the sun was replaced by the moon's soft illumination. Even without her super-hearing, she could hear everything in the house: her family enjoying their Friday night downstairs without her, her mother washing the dishes from the dinner she had not attended, TJ's laughter and her father's cheerful humming. It was all so peaceful, so perfect. No mysterious warriors, no secrets, no lies, no choices.

_Can I really leave all this behind?_ Here was where her memories were, where her family was. _But I have family out there…._ _Even if I don't remember a thing about them….. _She watched a far-away star flicker and shine, imagining that it was really her home planet. Earth was everything she had ever known, wasn't it? Becky fell back on her bed again, wishing she had someone to talk to; someone who understood what it was like.

_Could I really leave Earth?_

* * *

The sun was setting. The shadows were lengthening and everyone out on the street was unconsciously picking up their pace so they could make it home before darkness gripped the city. At the end of the street, the first of hundreds of street lights snapped on.

He couldn't put it off any longer.

Tobey sighed and stood up from the bench he had been sitting on for the last hour. _Time to go home…_ He took a moment to stretch out his stiff muscles, than crossed the street and walked away from the lit street light, into the gathering shadows of the surrounding buildings.

Tobey didn't mind the darkness. In fact, sometimes he preferred it to the light. There was less complexity in the darkness. Less people too. Everything seemed less real, less potent when it wasn't lit by the light of the sun. There was an aura of mystery to everything but he didn't have to see it, he didn't have to ponder what it was. It was so much easier to deal with the feelings when he was in darkness. It was easier to focus, to think, when the light wasn't harassing his senses and playing tricks on them. Tobey took a deep, invigorating breath of the quiet darkness around him, letting himself truly relax for the first time that day. The darkness was so soothing.

Another streetlight popped to life right over his head and he glared up at the harsh light that tarnished his peace by giving form to the mysteries around him. He ducked his head and quickened his pace.

Tobey couldn't stop thinking about what had happened in the alley. How he had just stood there and watched that man attack Wordgirl and her friends. And even when he had tried to help, it only made things worse. He hadn't even stepped out to talk to the police or offer Wordgirl any help.

Then there was the fact that the strange man had nearly landed on top of him when he had jumped out of the way of the monkey's attack. Just thinking about that man; how close he had come to finding him, the way his eyes burned, the smell of his sweat, the rasp of his voice... it all made Tobey shiver. His heart still felt sore from how hard it had been pounding after that terrifying moment in the alley when he had felt so powerless, so weak, and so useless. He felt tears again and brushed them away carelessly. Why was he crying so much?

_It's just been a long day…. _Tobey thought wearily. It seemed like he had spent most of it walking or almost getting killed. Surely he was entitled to cry a little, wasn't he?

He turned the final corner and reached the end of his street. _Almost there. _There were no lights lit yet along the road except for the few that glared from his neighbors' houses. Despite the relative darkness, Tobey could still see the shadowed forms of several half-built robots towering up from his backyard. To anyone unfamiliar with the hobbies of the young MacCallister, in this limited light they would assume the gargantuan forms to be trees. _They might as well be trees if I can't use them…_ He thought, thinking bitterly of his stolen battery.

The last rays of light were sinking in the distance. A few of the street lights around him were beginning to flicker to life. This was not a good time to be dawdling. Especially out here, where Mother might see him. Tobey crossed his front yard with quick, even steps. When he finally reached his front door, he took a deep breath before grabbing the handle. _Here we go…_

He opened the door and called out in a flat, cautious voice: "Mother. I'm home."

He closed his eyes and waited for the yelling. Or a hard tug on his ear. When several seconds past and nothing happened, Tobey slowly peeled open his eyes. The lights were off in the front hall. He couldn't see anything. _Is she home?_

"Mother?" He stepped inside and quietly shut the door behind him.

"There you are." He nearly jumped out of his skin as the voice sounded on his left. His mother was standing by the front window staring out at the street. She didn't face him as she spoke, focusing instead on the empty street.

"You missed dinner, Theodore." For once, there was no hint of anger in her voice. She sounded distant, like she didn't really care about what she was saying. Tobey took a half step closer and noticed several beads of sweat on his mother's usually perfectly dry forehead.

"Mom. Are you okay?"

She didn't answer. She just turned to face him, her eyes scrutinizing him calmly as if she were trying to memorize his face.

This calm silence was worse than shouting. Mother never acted this tranquil. Usually she was either angry at him, exhausted from work or (occasionally) happy about some small accomplishment of his. Even her face looked different. It seemed less uptight, with fewer lines standing out on her forehead, making her look significantly younger. Her eyes glowed with a strange exuberance he had never seen there before.

It was like he was looking at a different person. "I'm sorry I'm so late." Tobey said quietly in an effort to fill the disturbing silence.

To his relief, she turned back to the window and resumed her vigil of watching the street. She showed no intention of answering him.

"I guess I'll just go to bed…" He took a tentative step towards the stairs, afraid any sudden movements would break his mother's placidity.

She didn't even look at him. "Alright Tobey. If you're hungry, the leftovers will be in the fridge….. good night…" Her voice was dreamy and distant.

Tobey left his mother standing at the window and silently climbed the stairs to his bedroom. He closed the door behind him and just stood there, trying to make sense of what had just happened. _I took twenty robots into the city at dawn, skipped school and missed dinner. And nothing! No lecture, no ear tugging, not even a scowl…. _It was unsettling that she had been so calm about everything.

Tobey turned and gazed back in the direction of his mother. Something was definitely wrong with this picture…

* * *

Claire MacCallister turned back to the window as her son climbed the stairs. All evening she had been feeling a strange sort of nagging in the back of her mind. Like she had forgotten to do something important and couldn't quite remember what it was. Breathing deeply and evenly, she tried to push the feeling away. But it refused to leave her alone. Frustrated, she tried harder but only succeeded in making it worse. The nagging continued like an exasperating itch; deeply embedded somewhere she couldn't reach.

She hadn't felt this in years. _When was the last time this happened? Ten years ago? No…Theodore's thirteen…..that would make it….._

She put one hand on the window and stared up into the stars as she racked her brains.

At that moment, something red streaked across the sky. If she had blinked, she would've missed it. A smile burst across Claire's face and she nearly snapped her glasses as she pressed her face against the glass to watch the trail of light fade away. She closed her eyes against the cool glass and took several deep, ragged breaths as the itch slowly became tolerable. For the first time in nearly twelve years, she felt tears trickle down her cheek: smearing her makeup and burning her eyes. But she didn't care. Now, she knew what it was she was feeling. Her breaths became quiet laughs.

_I knew it was possible._

_

* * *

_AHA! Can't stay away from those cliffhangers... So, I tried to give some answers in this chapter but decided to hold onto a lot of them in the end_..._

The next chapter might take me awhile... depends on how much time I have... writing about Sarvavi's trial is going to be tough...

Thanks for reading and please review!


	7. Chapter 7: Instinct

I had a hard time trying to think of something to write for the beginning of this chapter…

This chapter was getting to the point where I was beginning to obsess over the tiniest details and I just had to get it up so I wouldn't be tempted to keep changing it. Enjoy!

FYI: There is some violence in this scene.

* * *

Chapter 7: Instinct

**The surface of the pool reflected the moon perfectly. It was like looking down on the sky from the heavens above…. Like the world was inverted. She stepped forward and peered into the water but she couldn't see anything below the surface. She couldn't even see her own reflection…**

"**There's my Beckyan…. I knew you'd come back…." The voice brought her a strange comfort. She turned slowly, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu.**

**Sarvavisa was standing next to her, also peering into the depths of the pool. She was dressed in startlingly white cargos and a tank top. Her feet were bare. A sad smile played across her face. **

"**This is a special place Becky….. this is a place of mysteries…." She said in response to Becky's unasked question.**

**A strange smell reached her nostrils and she had to wrinkle her nose. It was harsh and sharp and… familiar. Almost like…. blood….**

**Her eyes were drawn to Sarvavi's bare arm. Blood poured from the star-shaped cut on her right arm, dripping in rivulets down her forearm. She seemed oblivious to the torrent of blood. Or immune to it. She continued to smile, raising her head to gaze into the infinite blackness around them, blood dripping slowly from the tips of her fingers onto the still surface of the pool.**

**A strong wind began to blow. But from where, Becky couldn't tell. It seemed to be all around them all at once….. but the surface of the pool showed not a ripple…. **

"…_**..keep her safe….."  
"…know when her destiny awaits…" **_

"…_**..did you go there, you know it's dangerous…."**_

"… _**what did you do this time…?…"**_

"…_**.not a warrior, you're a coward…"**_

**Instead of air, the wind was made of voices…. Voices of men and women, of children and adults… Even one that sounded like Huggy… Sarvavi flinched and her body jerked and shivered involuntarily as each voice hit her like a physical blow. At this last one, she grabbed the bleeding scar on her arm with a gasp of pain, blood flowing through her fingers uncontrollably…**

"…_**push through it! Find your inner peace…!"**_** Sarvavi screamed at this one, a blood-curdling shriek full of pain and the wind became a howling tornado of screams just like hers... Hundreds of things…. screaming…. in pain… She wanted to cover her ears but her hands refused to move…. **

**The wind finally stopped and Sarvavi's breath became ragged. She staggered once. "No…." she said quietly. "No. It hurts…. I can't…. I can't….." She fell backwards towards the pool, blood streaming from her arm… but as she hit the pool, the water shattered like glass. She was falling through the façade towards a steep cliff. Sarvavi disappeared over the edge with barely a gasp. Becky ran to the edge, intent on rescue. But there was no sense of power, no indication that she could take to the skies. **_**I can't fly….**_** She realized…**

**Her feet stopped at the edge and refused to move any further. Looking down, she saw Sarvavi's body being swallowed up by mists far below….**

"…**..Don't leave me here….! You promised…..you promised….."**

**This voice sounded eerily familiar. So familiar, it was like she was hearing…..**

* * *

She must've slept a little because Becky could vaguely remember dreaming. But it was another one of those easily forgotten dreams, the kind she wasn't even sure she'd actually had. Trying to remember her dream occupied her thoughts all through breakfast while T.J. argued with her parents about why he wasn't allowed to go to the trial ("you know it's your day to clean the attic and you're not getting out of it again!").

It occupied her thoughts even now as she shifted nervously in her seat and looked around the familiar courtroom. It was still pretty early, so the room was practically empty. The doors were not open to the public yet so only the lawyers and the courtroom police were wandering around.

"Becky, are you okay?" Mrs. Botsford called out to her from the prosecution table as she shuffled her papers around.

"Yeah mom. Just excited!" She even managed to make it sound convincing through her shaky voice. Why did she keep having a deep, uneasy feeling? Her mother looked like she wanted to say something else but was interrupted as an assistant DA ran up to her, juggling a phone and several papers in his arms. As she turned away, Becky caught a snatch of the conversation: "MacCallister just called in sick."

Immediately, she cocked her head, focusing her super-hearing on the conversation trying to ignore the slight twinge of guilt she felt for eavesdropping.

"Oh." Her mother sounded a little confused. "Well, she did seem a little distracted yesterday when we were working on the case…. Did she send her work over?"

The assistant DA coughed nervously. "She….. she flatly refused to tell me what she did with the opening argument she wrote and her notes … and then she hung up."

"Did you….?"

"I tried calling her again but she won't answer… "

Even without looking directly at her mom, Becky could tell she was upset by this news.

"I was counting on Claire's evidence to nail this case, she knows that!" She sighed and tried to remain professional. "Have you heard from our star witness yet?"

The ADA coughed again. "There has been no word from her. She was last seen at the police station yesterday around 3 or 4, visiting the defendant."

Becky heard her mom sigh again. "We'll just have to wait for her than….."

The ADA tried to recover from his last few blunders with optimism. "Don't worry District Attorney, Wordgirl will show up! She knows we need her. She's never let us down before!"

Becky stopped listening then, feeling nauseous. _I'll let you down either way when you realize what you're dealing with…_

"Becky! Becks!"

She turned to the familiar voice, remembering to smile. Scoops was making his way down the aisle to her, tablet in hand, camera swinging from his neck. The doors from the main hall were thrown open wide behind him and several reporters and spectators streamed through them.

Becky greeted her friend as he came to stand beside her. "Hey Scoops! Are you covering the trial?"

Scoops grinned as he adjusted his hat. "Yup! I'm going to finally get that interview too!" He plopped down in the seat next to her because it offered him a better view of the proceedings then a seat in the press section did.

"What interview?"

He looked at her like she was crazy. "I told you yesterday, don't you remember?"

"Oh right! That interview…" she tried to pass it off as a joke which was not one of her strengths. Glancing around for a change of subject, her gaze was drawn to the doors again. Her eyes widened.

"Are all those people here for the trial?"

Scoops looked up from his camera. "I guess so. It's a pretty big deal."

There were dozens of people, maybe even a hundred squeezing through the door. Most of the spectator seats were already filled and people were beginning to line the sides of the room. It seemed like everyone in the city (minus a certain boy genius and his mother) was trying to pack into this courtroom. Becky noticed a small, purple figure pushing her way through the doors and waved. But Violet didn't see her and instead took a seat further back. Becky let her hand fall, disappointed. She wanted to talk to her old friend, to thank her for her kindness yesterday…

As the sides of the room began to fill, the torrent of people coming in finally seemed to start slowing. A few stragglers rushed through the doors as the guards began to close them. But just as they were shutting, a final figure dove through them with an indignant screech. A small, brown, furry figure. Becky couldn't help smiling as she recognized Huggy in his Earth disguise. But the events of the previous night quickly caught up with her and the smile became a hurt frown. Bob/Huggy looked around at the packed courtroom, than took a seat in the very last row. Becky couldn't tell if he had seen her and was avoiding her or if he just hadn't seen her and wanted to be alone. She turned back to face the front of the courtroom. _Should I go talk to him? Sarvavi said I should go easy on him… but he lied to me! He's my best friend….. that only makes it worse….._

Suddenly, the door from the holding chamber was thrown open with a bang. Everyone turned to the sound and several people had to stifle a gasp. The defendant was here.

* * *

Sarvavi was dressed in a completely orange prison jumpsuit and looked none too pleased with it. She was handcuffed and being lead to the bench by two of the city's officers. But she held her head high; her hair fell wild and tangled about her shoulders. Her eyes glowed boldly. She showed no fear, no hostility. Becky had to admit, it was impressive.

Sarvavi's eyes swept the courtroom passively until they picked Becky out of the crowd. She showed not a flicker of emotion as her eyes rested on her.

Her head turned as she walked past so she could keep watching Becky, no emotion displayed on her face, her eyes betraying nothing. Becky tried to hold her gaze but eventually gave up. The calmness of Sarvavi's gaze was more agonizing than fury. Becky ducked her head in shame. _I didn't break my promise to her by coming here…. I said Wordgirl wouldn't be here….. not Becky….. Becky can be here…. Right? _It sounded like a terrible excuse when she consciously considered it.

Sarvavi finally stopped looking at her as she reached her bench and faced the stand. A door behind the stand opened up and everyone stood as the judge entered the room. He glanced around once, than nodded at the audience for everyone to be seated.

The trial began.

* * *

"District Attorney, your opening statement please." Mrs. Botsford nodded at the judge than stood.

"Your Honor," she began, taking a few steps forward and folding her hands behind her back. "I am District Attorney Botsford and I am here today to prove that this stranger," (she pointed threateningly at the passive defendant as she said this) "is in complete violation of Preposterocity law number 212 and because of that violation, nearly caused tragedy." She walked over to the evidence table and scooped up a large plastic bag containing the strange weapon from the day before. "She was found with this weapon in her hand and was clearly threatening the life of our beloved Wordgirl with it." She smiled confidently here. "We have several witnesses that can attest to this and numerous other pieces of evidence regarding the questionable behaviors of this stranger since she was first reported in the city over a week ago. Your Honor, I am here today to make sure this law-breaker gets a generous serving of justice for her crimes!" She replaced the evidence and folded her arms. "That is all." She walked briskly back to her table and took her seat.

"How was that?" Becky heard her whisper to the ADA next to her. He gave her a wink and a thumbs-up. Becky felt her stomach squirm. Usually, watching her mom deliver opening statements was inspiring and exhilarating. But, today she only felt terrible because she couldn't stop her from making a huge mistake.

The judge turned to Sarvavi's table. "Defense?"

The defendant rose to her feet, shrugging off the guards that tried to rise with her. She faced the judge and fixed him in one of her piercing gazes. Becky could've sworn she saw him shiver. "I am here today to defend myself against these accusations. I will do that to the best of my ability and as thoroughly and fairly as possible. Thank you." She sat down.

The entire prosecution table looked a little taken aback. Apparently, none of them had been expecting the defendant to represent themselves or to give an opening statement that was so short and concise.

The judge seemed a little surprised too. "Do you have a name?" he asked her as he adjusted his glasses nervously.  
"Not one I would wish you to call me." She said matter-of-factly.

He was clearly confused. "Well, we need something for the record…."

"Call me stranger, than. That seems to be the most useful delineation…"

The judge sat back slightly, his brow furrowed. After a few seconds he shrugged and turned back to the prosecution.

"Prosecution, please call your first witness."

Sally Botsford looked around hopefully and Becky had a sudden urge to sink down in her seat. The other prosecutors glanced around too, a few even stood up. Becky heard several people behind her shift around and murmur. _They were counting on me to say she attacked me… _ She realized with mixed feelings. On one hand, she was glad because that meant they couldn't nail Sarvavi for any accusations. But on the other, she felt terrible because she had failed them. Wordgirl wasn't here to save them this time.

Mrs. Botsford took one final look around, and then sighed in defeat, her shoulders slumping. _I'm sorry mom. _ Becky thought. _If only you knew that this was for the best…_

"Your Honor," DA Botsford said, trying to regain her confident composure. "The prosecution calls the defendant to the stand!"

There were some murmurings as Sarvavi stood and walked to the stand. She seated herself comfortably, cuffed hands folded in her lap.

District Attorney Botsford walked back to the evidence table and scooped up a folder lying next to the weapon as the witness was sworn in. She weighed it in her hands as she walked up to the calm suspect.

"Now, stranger." Becky winced at her mother's harsh tone of voice, the tone she only used when very upset or when talking to criminals she loathed. Sarvavi, however, still showed not a flicker, her expression calm and unreadable. The DA held up the folder so everyone could see it. "Do you know what this is?" She asked the girl.

Sarvavi didn't even blink. "A manila folder." She answered helpfully. Becky saw the muscles tighten in her mother's neck as she fought to keep composed.

"Not just any manila folder." She said beginning to pace. "These are the city library's records of books that have been borrowed over the last few weeks." Mrs. Botsford stopped walking and turned suddenly on her victim. "We received a tip from an anonymous source that you requested access to these about a week ago for a 'project'." The District Attorney said letting a smile that was slightly arrogant and even a little evil spread over her face. But the tactic did not have the effect she had been hoping for as the expression on her opponent's face still remained infuriatingly calm and unchanged.

"By anonymous, do you mean the librarian?" Sarvavi asked, sounding just the tiniest bit amused. "Ms. Dewey, I think her name was?" She asked the astounded DA politely. The room burst into quiet murmurings and the judge banged his gavel once to restore order.

"Well, stranger." Mrs. Botsford said a little uneasily as the chatter died away. "I don't think that's particularly important right now." Becky could tell she hadn't expected Sarvavi to know the name. "What were you doing with these records?" The DA asked picking up her track again.

Sarvavi cocked her head to one side slightly; a movement that only made her look more out of place than she already was. "Why do you think I was looking at them?" She sounded genuinely curious now.

The DA rounded on her. "Answer the question!" she snapped impatiently.

Sarvavi's gaze darkened slightly but the smile remained on her lips. "Forgive me, I'm just curious as to why this simple act of acquiring information already readily available is being called into question…."

"Why did you look at them?" Mrs. Botsford interrupted, slamming the files down on the stand.

Sarvavi looked down at the folder than up at the waiting audience as if she was weighing her options. Her eyes met Becky's for the briefest second before moving on. She scanned the room once more before letting her gaze rest on the far wall. She spoke flatly. "I was trying to find out Wordgirl's secret identity."

There was a collective gasp that quickly descended into more murmuring.

_She found me through library records? _Becky thought, heart pounding. _Does that mean other people can too?_

"How did she do that?" Scoops asked no one in particular, pausing briefly from scribbling in his tablet to gaze at the defendant in confusion. "The library doesn't have records on who Wordgirl is..." He turned to Becky. "Does it?"

She shrugged, still confused herself. _How could a library record show who I am?_ She made a mental note to ask Sarvavi the next time an opportunity arose.

The judge finally restored order but he looked as troubled as everyone else.

The District Attorney was shocked likewise. She seemed to have forgotten the reason she had brought up the records in the first place. "And…. and did you?" Her voice lost all seriousness and became desperate. "Do you know who Wordgirl is?"

Sarvavi looked straight ahead; staring at a point just over Becky's left shoulder. When she finally answered it was barely more than a whisper. "Yes."

Everyone was silent, but Becky could feel the collective anticipation in the room. Her hands started to sweat.

Her mother, unfortunately, seemed to be the most eager of the group. "Tell me who she is." She demanded of the witness.

Becky's heart stopped. But Sarvavi made no move. "I can't do that…" she said quietly.

District Attorney Botsford lost all indication of patience. She was desperate for an answer. "You are under oath to answer every question we ask…" she began, leaning threateningly towards the defendant.

"Unless I object to that question." Sarvavi interrupted quietly, turning to face the DA. "I fail to see how that information pertains to this trial."

Mrs. Botsford took a step back, raising one eyebrow. "Pertains…?" she asked, clearly not knowing the word.

"To pertain: to have reference, relation, or relevance" Sarvavi answered immediately just as Becky was opening her mouth to define the word.

Becky closed her mouth in surprise. Sarvavi's definition bore an eerie similarly to Wordgirl's method of defining words, only hers seemed more robotic, as if she had trained herself to answer immediately and flawlessly. She showed no apparent pleasure in defining the word.

Sarvavi turned away suddenly and shook her head slightly, as if trying to clear it. Becky watched her blink several times as the room again burst into quiet murmurings.

The District Attorney walked back over to her table and leaned in to talk quietly with her team. Becky could've listened in but she was too busy watching Sarvavi. The girl was breathing hard, her brow furrowed in concentration, eyes wide and staring at nothing. _What is going on with her..?_

"If the prosecution has no further questions…" the judge began, in an effort to keep the trial moving.

Mrs. Botsford straightened up. "Just one more question for now, your Honor." She walked back up to Sarvavi, who looked like she was trying desperately to focus her thoughts. The DA cleared her throat and the defendant's head snapped up, her calm mask falling back into place.

Mrs. Botsford picked up the folder and played with it in her hands, is if trying to decide whether it was worth pursuing the point or not. After a few seconds, she replaced it on the stand and sighed. "Do you have a single witness that can confirm that you were not the one who brought the weapon into the city and used it?" She asked the defendant.

Sarvavi sighed sadly. "Actually, I have three…." She looked around the courtroom again, this time pointedly avoiding Becky's gaze. "But," she continued as she looked around. "none of them are in any position to speak right now." Her eyes came to rest on Mrs. Botsford again. "But seeing as you and I both seem to have the same principle witness, it appears we don't have a trial until they show up." Her tone suggested that this would be the end her testimony.

Mrs. Botsford stared at her for a few seconds, than nodded. "No more questions, your Honor." She looked up at the judge. "But I would like a moment to talk to my team." The judge nodded.

"Take all the time you need, District Attorney."

Becky focused her hearing as her mom gathered her assistants, blocking out the meaningless chatter that had begun behind her. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Scoops leaning forward as if trying to listen in too, but with a furrowed brow, as if he was only catching infuriatingly small fragments of the conversation.

"I don't know what else we can do." The DA whispered to the team. "Without Claire's evidence and Wordgirl's testimony we really don't have a case…."

"Maybe Wordgirl is busy?" Suggested the male ADA who had spoken to Mrs. Botsford before.

"Or scared to testify?" Another ADA offered. "I know I would be…"

"We could try to establish a plea bargain…" suggested the male ADA.

Mrs. Botsford shook her head. "I think, at this point, it would be best if we ask to postpone the trial to wait for Claire's input and investigate some new evidence…"

Becky stopped listening as the other prosecution members began nodding and murmuring in agreement. _At this rate it's going to take forever to get this thing over with…_ She thought, exasperated. That meant no answers from the elusive Sarvavi. She looked up at the defendant. Sarvavi was distracted and shaking her head again as if there were a high-pitched sound bothering her.

_Promise or no promise, _Becky thought. _ Wordgirl showing up is the only way she's going to go free… and the only way I'll finally get the truth… _ Becky took a deep breath. _I just hope she forgives me…_

Sarvavi closed her eyes and winced slightly, pressing two fingers to her temple. Becky focused her hearing again but caught no strange frequencies. _What is she doing?_

She couldn't be worried about Sarvavi's mysterious quirks right now. Wordgirl was needed. Becky turned to Scoops. "Hey Scoops." He looked at her in surprise, his concentration on the prosecution team broken. "Could you let me out? I have too…" Her attempt at excusing herself was interrupted by the gavel, which cut off the numerous side conversations in the courtroom. The judge turned to the defendant who had apparently gotten her headache under control and was trying to put her calm-mask back on.

"Defense, you may call your first witness now."

All eyes turned to the figure on the witness stand. Becky felt like she should be taking the opportunity to sneak out and transform but she didn't move. Sarvavi turned to the judge, her mask forgotten. "I told you, none of them can talk at this particular moment." She said in a somewhat bitter voice.

The judge glared back, seeming comforted by the fact that the defendant was finally acting hostile. "You must call a witness." He insisted, tapping his gavel on his palm.

"I'm the only one who can talk right now." Sarvavi said, obviously annoyed. "There is no one else here to verify what I say."

A loud voice suddenly filled the courtroom. "Witness for the defense, present and accounted for!"

* * *

Becky whipped around, along with everyone else in the room. The speaker was standing at the doors; arms folded and chin held high. She felt a strange sense of relief and couldn't quite figure out why. Maybe it was just the fact that he was showing up at a very unexpected moment. As usual. At least that hadn't changed. But she couldn't stop the unusual, grateful thought that accompanied her sense of relief: _He's okay…._

The look of complete surprise on Sarvavi's face was pretty satisfying as well.

Tobey adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat self-consciously.

"I can verify her story. And I have concrete proof that she was protecting Wordgirl, not trying to harm her." He held up his cell phone. "She didn't bring the weapon in!" He said, pointing at the witness stand. The room burst into conversations again. Becky glanced at Sarvavi who was slowly shaking her head in disbelief. Over at the prosecution table, Mrs. Botsford was staring at Tobey curiously. Once the gavel got the noise down to a manageable level, Tobey spoke again. "There was another man there who had the weapon…"

"And he's here right now." The room fell dead silent as the icy voice swept through it. Becky froze as the chill shot straight through her. _He's back….._

* * *

Before anyone in the courtroom could react, Lord Inexpert had Tobey in a strangle hold and had lifted him off the ground. He kicked the doors shut behind him and Becky heard the lock fall into place even without her super-hearing. Tobey struggled vainly against the arm holding him.

"Let me go, you uncouth, senseless barbarian! Before I..." He abruptly stopped talking as the cold barrel of a pistol was pressed to his face.

"You will keep quiet, youngling. If you want to live…" Inexpert growled in a low voice. Tobey obliged but tried to cover his fear by glaring at his restrainer.

The man smirked at his prisoner. "Good boy…." He looked around the crowded courtroom until he saw Sarvavi on the stand, staring fixatedly at him. He began to walk forward slowly, dragging Tobey with him. Becky could feel her breath coming in small, quick gasps as he slowly moved closer to her. _What if he recognizes me…. What if he… what….._ The man continued past her, without a glance, focused entirely on Sarvavi. But it still did nothing to quiet her heartbeat.

"All of you up there!" Inexpert called to the general gathering of people around the stand, all of whom looked frozen in place. "Unless you want this boy's head detached from his shoulders, move away from her," he indicated Sarvavi with a jerk of his head, "slowly."

Nobody moved but several of the ADAs looked at Mrs. Botsford in confusion who seemed petrified. Inexpert's gaze darkened. "Now!" he demanded firing the pistol into the air. Everyone screamed as the gunshot went off, echoing eerily around the courtroom ceiling. Becky felt her muscles lock up like she had been doused in Lexonite again. _What should I do? _All she felt was fear. She couldn't think.

The police officers, lawyers and judge around the stand parted like water as the man continued forward, dragging Tobey's feet on the floor.

Sarvavi took her eyes off of the alien for a moment to gaze sadly at Tobey. "Thank you for trying to help me." She said to him softly, gratitude and sorrow shining in her eyes. He looked up at her, something similar to surprise in his eyes.

Inexpert jerked his prisoner to the side roughly. "Focus on me now, Shadow." He snarled, brandishing the pistol. "Not him."

Her gaze immediately darkened as he came into her sights. "Let the boy go." She said evenly, fixing him in her piercing gaze. "He is nothing to you."

The man pulled a terrified Tobey closer. He spoke into the boy's ear but kept his gaze on Sarvavi. "Even 'nothing' has its uses." he said menacingly in a voice that made both Becky and Tobey shiver. "Wouldn't you agree?" Inexpert asked Sarvavi tauntingly.

She twitched slightly. "I didn't expect you to make this much of a scene your Lordship." She said in a low, controlled voice. "Holding an entire city hostage?" She shook her head. "So much for your legendary prudence…" Becky had to admire her sarcasm, even at a time like this.

Inexpert obviously, did not care for it. "I decided it wasn't worth risking a less open approach." He said, casually pressing the gun to Tobey's face again. "What was that you used to say? 'Patience is knowing when to strike?" He pressed the gun into Tobey harder as if to emphasize the word and sneered as Tobey gasped and Sarvavi started slightly.

One of the reporters in the press section took this opportunity to speak up in a terrified voice. "Please just let us go!" He pleaded. "You don't have to kill us!"

Inexpert turned to the reporter. "Once I get what I want, you all will go free." He growled at the petrified man. As if to prove his point, he suddenly dropped Tobey, who gasped for breath and backed away from the man slowly until he stood next to Mrs. Botsford, rubbing his neck but otherwise unhurt.

"There are only two people on this planet I want dead." Inexpert continued. He carelessly pointed the gun towards Sarvavi who seemed to be suffering from the strange, unheard frequency again. "I have one of them here so I'm pretty sure the other isn't far away…" He looked around the room, his eyes drifting right over Becky without a second glance. "I seek the one you call Wordgirl." He announced to the assembly making sure they could all see the weapon. The room broke into uneasy murmurings.

Becky caught snatches of the conversations around her: "Wordgirl?" "Why does he want her?" "Is she even here..?" She saw a few people looking around, looking for their heroine. But she couldn't move, her mind refused to work. _He's after me…. _A little boy behind her spoke quietly: "Mommy? Why isn't Wordgirl here to save us?" His voice sent a pang through her heart. She couldn't save them this time….

Inexpert lost his patience.

"I know she's in this city! You can't hide her! **Where is she?**"

Another shot went up and again, everyone flinched. Becky heard the little boy behind her start to cry quietly and closed her eyes, willing her mind to work as fast as her heart was pounding. _Should I save them? Or should I stay hidden like Sarvavi said?_ She couldn't abandon her city…

"Your quarrel is with me Inexpert, not with her." Sarvavi said in a desperately controlled voice, her eyes locked on the gun. "You don't want her. You want me. You have a reason to hate me." She narrowed her gaze and spoke in a low, cutting voice. "You hate me because of Dexter." Inexpert flinched but didn't turn around. Sarvavi seemed to know she had hit his weak spot. She smiled grimly, clearly taking no pleasure in this. "You base your hatred of that girl on whispered myths and disagreeing astrological predictions."

His eyes blazed and he rounded on her. "Predictions you once lived by if I'm not mistaken."

Her face remained expressionless but her eyes hardened. "I won't let you harm her…kill me instead."

"There will be plenty of time for you when her body is cold…" He snarled.

"Funny, you didn't seem to think that yesterday…"

Inexpert grabbed Sarvavi by her hair and yanked her head back violently. He pressed the gun to her throat and growled menacingly. "Tell me where the princess is or watch these humans die one by one…"

"NO!" Becky realized just in time that she was in the air. The ice around her brain had finally melted in one quick burst of realization: _Sarvavi can't die_. She didn't know why it mattered; she didn't know why she cared. All she knew was, she couldn't let this man hurt her. Two thoughts dominated her perfectly clear mind: _Sarvavi must live. _And: _ I shouldn't be flying…._ Becky quickly landed standing on her seat. Luckily, she hadn't gained too much altitude so the action made it look like she had just jumped onto her chair.

All eyes in the courtroom were on her. She didn't care if anyone had noticed her momentary flight. Scoops grabbed her hand but the action she dreamed of registered no feeling in her. "Becky….. please sit down…." His voice trembled as he pulled on her hand, trying to make her get down.

Becky shook his hand off.

"Let her go!" She shouted. The eyes of the man turned slowly to look at her, glowing sinisterly. They looked her up and down, seeing her again, confirming his new suspicions. A nightmarish smile spread slowly over his face.

"Becky, no!" Her mother was yelling now, but the sound seemed to reach her from a great distance away.

"SILENCE!" Inexpert kept his prisoner's hair in a strangle-hold and his eyes locked on Becky but removed the gun from Sarvavi's neck to fire in the direction of Mrs. Botsford. She jumped as the bullet smashed the floorboard right in front of her but was otherwise unharmed. An ADA grabbed her and pulled her down, begging her to cooperate.

Becky couldn't stand it anymore. This city needed its heroine.

"Stop!" She yelled. "Leave them alone!"

The smile grew wider, chilling her heart. "Can't bear to see humans in danger, can we?" Inexpert leaned towards Sarvavi but kept his eyes on Becky. "You couldn't hide her from me…" he whispered menacingly in her ear so only she and Becky could hear him.

"You just fired at her mother! She's not the one you want!" Sarvavi cried desperately, struggling against his hold.

He smacked her with the butt of his weapon, opening up a small gash on her forehead.

"I'm not falling for that again. There are no friends to help you this time, Shadow." He released her hair with disgust and turned the gun on Becky. "Now, mighty _warrior_," he sneered at the bleeding girl behind him. "You will know the pain I felt that night. Feel it now, feel the hurt….. as you watch your beloved die." His finger cocked back the hammer and his eyes turned cold as he aimed for Becky's heart. "Goodbye… _Ansa_…" Heart racing, Becky closed her eyes…

* * *

Nobody had noticed that she had picked the handcuffs. Not that it was a particularly hard thing to do. Not for Sarvavisa Eychanten. _ As if just restraining my hands would've kept me from leaving… _She had thought as she discreetly shook off the open handcuffs and gripped them in her hand, all the while never taking her gaze off of Inexpert. She realized why this city needed someone like Beckyan to keep the peace. _They said I was the most dangerous criminal they'd ever held and they didn't even hobble my ankles…._

She had hoped for more time before Inexpert caught up with her. She had also hoped there would be fewer humans around and that Beckyan had listened to her. For once. She had also hoped to see Lexicon again before she died. It seemed all her wishes were destined to go unfulfilled.

She would never know why Becky couldn't remember her, why Huggen had kept the truth from his charge, why they had disappeared that night…. And why was she getting the Pulse here, of all places…? All this had gone through her head as the barrel of the crude, other-worldly weapon was pressed to her throat. She was calm, ready to die. But then, everything had changed.

As Beckyan stood up, there was only one thought on Sarvavi's mind: _Nothing must happen to her…._

She couldn't stop him; he knew he'd found his target…The Ansa, the one that stood in his way….. the one she had sworn to die for…

As she heard the click of the hammer, she forgot everything else and did something she knew was very dangerous.

She let instinct take over.

_**BECKYAN MUST LIVE!**_

* * *

Becky heard the gunshot but she felt no pain. She felt nothing. _Am I…..?_

She opened her eyes in time to see Sarvavi throw herself at her. She caught a momentary glimpse of Inexpert, his hands suddenly bound in handcuffs, struggling to bring the gun around before Sarvavi hit her and they both went down behind the bench. Before she could even gasp, Becky felt vice-like arms around her and then something carrying her along at break-neck speed…Half a second later, she and Sarvavi were standing in the lobby, the door to the courtroom ripped off its hinges and thrown across the hall, the red glow slowly fading as Sarvavi released her hold on Becky.

Immediately, the wrecked doorway was filled with people as everyone in the courtroom saw a way out. The people stampeded around them, the desire to live pushing them towards the opening, away from the man with the gun. They didn't even stop to stare at the girls in the hallway, just rushed onward towards the door, towards escape, letting instinct drive them.

"Where's the ship?"

Becky turned to Sarvavi and was startled to see her eyes had changed color. Instead of a deep brown, they were now a bright gold.

Sarvavi was apparently in no mood for delays. "Where is the ship you crash-landed here in?" Her eyes were almost burning…

"Wha…..Why?" She tore her gaze from the eyes.

"I can fix the ship. Just get me there…"

Becky felt her heart skip a beat. "Really?"

"Yes." Sarvavi grabbed Becky's shoulder, her golden eyes penetrating Becky's as the brown ones never had. "It's time to choose Beckyan. Are we going home?"

Becky looked around at all the frightened people, all her friends, and her family! She imagined leaving them alone and defenseless with no Wordgirl to protect them, no Becky at the dinner table, no friend for Scoops to hug. She looked back up at Sarvavi and thought about her home planet, the parents she had never known.

Becky took a deep breath….. _It's my choice…._She knew what that choice had to be.

Sarvavi's eyes suddenly widened and she clutched her side with a rough gasp. Her hand came away bloody. She stared down at the bullet wound in her side as if it were a complete surprise. Blood was beginning to bloom slowly over her prison suit, turning the orange material a strange brown color. Sarvavi looked up, her gaze unfocused and cloudy. Slowly, her eyes met Becky's, the gold color draining out of them until they were brown pools once more.

A painful smile cracked across her face. "Well, this is unfortunate." She chuckled. Then she collapsed.

Becky caught her before she hit the floor, carefully avoiding the wound. She scanned for Bob but couldn't see him among the chaos in the hall.

_If only I could fly now! _ She thought desperately.

"Becky? Becks! Where are you?" Scoops' frantic voice reached her ears through the chaos around her. But she couldn't see him; she couldn't find any friendly faces among the stampede.

The crowd pressed, jostling Becky and her fragile cargo, threatening to knock them over. _We have to move… _she realized. Becky draped Sarvavi's right arm over her shoulders and moved with the crowd, trying to reach the doors to the outside. The panicked people bumped and jostled her relentlessly and she had to discreetly float a couple of times to stay on her feet. She could feel Sarvavi's blood dripping slowly over her arm and tried not to freeze-up again. She focused on keeping them moving; dragging the girl with her, praying Huggy would find them soon. _We have to get out of here….! I can't leave him behind again!_

She finally reached the street, where the few front-runners of the crowd were milling about confusedly like lost sheep. Becky half-carried, half-dragged her burden along the edge of the crowd, trying to keep out of sight but see everything at the same time. She looked around desperately but couldn't see anyone: not her mother, not Scoops, not Huggy. The people poured from the doors, desperate for freedom, running and screaming in terror.

It was all too much. Why couldn't she save them? Sarvavi suddenly seemed twice as heavy, her knees felt like jelly. She collapsed to the grass, hot tears beginning to gather in her eyes. _I can't do anything…_

"Becky! Becky!"

She had never been more relieved to hear that screech. She looked around again. "Huggy… Huggy!"

Then she finally saw him. He was fighting his way forward, leaping over the shoulders of people in the crowd, heading quickly towards her. He landed next to her and began to push her to her feet.

"We have to go now! He's lost the gun but he's moving fast!" Becky just stared at him, relief flooding through her.

"Wh….. where…?" she stammered as she stumbled to her feet again.

Huggy held up the bag from the evidence table that contained the strange weapon from the day before. "I had to make sure he couldn't get his hands on it again…" he explained. Then he caught sight of Sarvavi and froze. "Oh no…"

Becky couldn't focus on what he was saying; she was too relieved to be seeing him. "Huggy, I'm sorry…. I'm so sorry…"

He looked up at her, eyes frantic with worry. "You can apologize all you want later, right now, focus on getting us out of here! We have to get Sarvavi treatment. NOW."

Becky nodded, swallowing her tears. "Come on!" He jumped onto her back. She readjusted the bleeding warrior so she could cradle her carefully in one arm and raised her other arm. "Word-up!" She jumped into the skies, thinking how ironically fortunate it was that the man who had just tried to kill her had now made it possible for her to escape without being seen…

Becky was partially right; no one saw her fly away from city hall dragging an exhausted monkey and a wounded alien back to her ship. However, there was one person who saw her take off with her strange cargo. Violet Heaslip, lost in the confusion and slightly dazed, had somehow found Becky's familiar face among the crowd. Thinking about what had happened at school yesterday and recalling how close they had been in elementary school she had a sudden desire to speak to Becky, to clear up any hard feelings. She had fought her way towards her, elbowing people out of the way, she had to reach her! Unfortunately, she reached Becky's side just as Becky turned and took to the skies.

Violet did not realize she was being watched by two people: one of whom was flying quickly away from her in the grip of Wordgirl and the other who was standing in the crowd, slowly making his way towards the stunned girl, his eyes on the disappearing trio in the sky…

* * *

He missed the moonlight most. All his fondest memories were lit by the light of the moon. _If I ever leave this place… if I ever see her again…..we'll sit in the moonlight and watch the rings turn…. We'll talk about anything and everything… nothing will hold us back…. _A drip of freezing water slid down his neck and he shivered. The icy stone beneath him stole his limited body heat relentlessly. He shifted his legs under him and the chain around his ankle rattled ominously, the sound echoing continuously around the cell.

He heard the rusty scrap of the cell door opening, the scratch of his dinner being slid across the floor, the heavy breathing and rough voice of the jail-keep in the pitch darkness.

"Eat up freak. The emperor wants you strong for his visit…"

He had to bite his lip to stop his tongue from lashing out at the barbarian. _Don't say anything…. Don't give him a reason to taunt you….._

He turned his head slowly in the darkness, trying to sense where the moon would be through the thick stone walls as the door slid shut and the heavy footsteps slowly faded. He did not reach for the dish of food, despite his hunger. It wouldn't get any colder.

He faced the wall that felt the most promising and imagined he was flying above the stone into the outside world and the open air, flying above his prison, dancing in the beautiful moonlight...

_Sarvavi, where are you? Why have you abandoned me?_

* * *

I'm excited to write the next chapter. I'm finally getting to the reason for writing this story. Please review!


	8. Chapter 8: Escape

It's been awhile… life has been so demanding... As you may have noticed, I changed the story title. I decided that, in an effort to reach my goal of under 20 chapters I would cut the plotline into two pieces. Once you finish this chapter I'm sure you can figure out what part 2 is going to be called. I'm a little concerned about quality because I was usually very stressed out and impatient while I was writing this… and sometimes the dialogue just didn't feel right. I also tried to pull an all-nighter but fell asleep on the keyboard…. Oh well, I tried… here it is!

* * *

Chapter 8: Escape

The Wordgirl and Captain Huggyface Super-Secret Spaceship Hideout wasn't really cleverly hidden. It technically wasn't even really hidden. There was only one angle you couldn't see it from: standing at the foot of the hill it had created when Huggy had plowed it into the Earth nearly twelve years ago. But somehow, no one had found it in all the years it had sat there on the island, facing the city like a watchful sentry.

The gargantuan ship was their command center and second home. In the six years since they had started using it as such, Huggy and Wordgirl had redecorated and re-outfitted the grounded ship with Earth and even some Lexicon memorabilia, making the interior feel more like a resort than a space craft.

Becky dove through the roof hatch at top speed, nearly crashing to the floor as the relief of at last being somewhere safe flooded her. No one but she and Huggy knew where this was. No one would find them here. Huggy leapt off of her back as soon as she touched down.

"Stay here with her!" He told her as Becky tried to catch her breath. "I need to find the emergency Lexicon med-kit." He started to run off than suddenly turned back as if he had only just remembered something. "And if she wakes up, don't let her move around a lot." He told Becky.

Becky looked up at him, Sarvavi's head resting on her shoulder. "Why not?"

"Inexpert shot her with a leaded bullet. Lead is ten times more poisonous to Lexiconians than it is to humans." He said grimly. "Why do you think I never let you use pencils?" He pointed to the wound in Sarvavi's side. "We have to get the bullet out before her body starts trying to break it down. If even the tiniest bit dissolves into her bloodstream…." He shook his head. "Well, it's not going to be pretty…."

He shot a final, worried look at Sarvavi, and then ran towards the cockpit, leaving Becky alone with her burden.

_What have we gotten ourselves into?_ She was still in shock from the events at the trial. Forget that, she was still in shock from yesterday. And she still knew next to nothing about the girl in her arms and why she was here. Sarvavi stirred slightly, her head falling off of Becky's shoulder as she cringed from a wave of pain that rolled through her body. _Who are you? _Becky thought as she held the shivering girl. _Why should I know you?_

Becky gently laid the unconscious warrior against the wall, taking care to avoid the still bleeding wound. The blood made her queasy and she swallowed her nausea with difficultly. _She shouldn't be bleeding this much…._ Becky took off her already blood-covered sweater, revealing the top of her super-hero outfit that she always wore underneath. She dabbed gently at the wound with the bloody garment. Sarvavi moaned slightly at the touch and opened her eyes. "Are… are we here…?" she asked quietly looking around dazedly.

"Yes," Becky answered gently, moving the sweater away from the wound to check how it looked. It looked terrible. "Yes we're in the ship…" she continued in an effort to keep herself from retching.

Something like a relieved smile spread across Sarvavi's face. "Good… good." She bit the last word off, ending with a gasp as she gripped her bloody side.

"You're really bleeding…" Becky said, unable to take her eyes off of the steady stream of blood coming from the wound. She quickly brushed the girl's hand away and pressed the sweater to the flow again, trying to ignore the blood on her hands.

Sarvavi tried to chuckle. "it'll be fine…" She said, gritting her teeth and forcing a smile.

Becky shook her head hopelessly. "Why did you do that?" she asked her as she tied the sweater into a makeshift bandage around the girl's side. "Why get yourself shot for me?"

Sarvavi turned her intense gaze on Becky. "I would die for you." She said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Their eyes met and Becky thought she saw something deep in the other girls' eyes. Behind the pain, there was a flicker of affection, the same she often saw in her mother's eyes. Then Sarvavi gasped in agony again and it was gone.

Becky let her catch her breath than asked. "Why…?"

"I couldn't let him kill you…." Sarvavi choked out, biting her lip. She caught sight of the shield on Becky's chest and froze. She stared curiously at it for a few seconds, as if trying to remember something. "You're too important…" she whispered. Then to Becky's astonishment, she hauled herself to her feet and stood shakily.

"What are you doing? Huggy said you need to stay down…" She grabbed for Sarvavi's arm but her hand was knocked away.

"We need to get moving." Sarvavi said, starting to walk unevenly toward the cockpit, clinging to the wall for support. "He's going to bring reinforcements…" She stumbled and almost fell over but caught herself before Becky could. She took a deep breath and continued walking. "We need to leave…. It's not safe…."

Becky made another move to stop her but it was a half-hearted attempt. "But the ship…."

Sarvavi took another labored step. "I told you, I can fix it." She said stubbornly.

"How? Not even Huggy could…"

Sarvavi turned her head towards Becky so she could look over her shoulder at her. "I'm pretty sure I know how to fix my own ship."

At that moment, Huggy came back into the room, wearing his Lexicon pilot suit and juggling a small black case and a familiar long bamboo staff.

"It's very out of date but I think it'll still work…" He trailed off as he caught sight of Sarvavi clinging to the wall and Becky hovering awkwardly nearby.

His features instantly hardened. "NO!" He yelled at the warrior. "Get down now!"

Sarvavi took another difficult step, seeming to be more focused despite the distractions. "I will survive a few minutes of pain…"

"But how much longer after that?" He screeched indignantly. "Get down!"

She glared at him, and took another, slightly more labored step, indicating she had no intention of listening to him. "Lexicon has treatments," She said. "But we have to get there first."

Huggy said nothing, but his eyes showed his concern and frustration.

Becky watched, unsure of what to do as Sarvavi pleaded with Huggy. "Let me fix the ship and then you can take care of me. I promise."

Huggy remained rigid. Sarvavi stretched out her hand to him.

"Please." She said quietly. "We all need to get home…"

Huggy fumed quietly for a few seconds then finally gave up, shoulders slumping in defeat. "Fine."

"Good." She took another step and stumbled again. "I need to get to the engine room…" She said though her teeth, fingers jumping to her wound again.

Huggy sighed. "Here," He hefted the staff. "I picked it up on my way here last night…." He tossed it to her. Sarvavi caught it one-handed. She then gripped the center of the staff with both hands and twisted in opposite directions. The weapon slid apart into two even halves, each about three feet long. Sarvavi took one in each hand like crutches and hobbled her way off the wall towards Huggy. "Thank you, brother." She said and smiled. After a seconds' hesitation, he smiled back. "Stubborn as ever…" Becky heard him mutter under his breath. But his tone was affectionate. _Brother? _Becky thought. _How can they possibly be siblings?_

"What…" She started to form the question but Sarvavi cut her off.

"Beckyan, I promise I'll answer all your questions once we're out of here." Becky closed her mouth as Sarvavi took a few more uneven steps, leaning on the pieces of her staff. It looked like she had no choice but to wait. Again.

Sarvavi looked around her as if she were getting her bearings. "Engine status." She said to no one in particular. Becky looked around but couldn't see anyone or anything that she could be speaking to.

Sarvavi's brow furrowed and she gazed around at the walls as if looking for something. "I said, engine status." Nothing happened.

"Huggy…." She spoke slowly, in a dangerously sweet voice as she turned to face him. Her eyes were still dull from the wound but rage burned sluggishly behind the pain. Huggy cowered slightly at her face and took a step back like he wanted to hide behind Becky.

Sarvavi staggered quickly to his side and shuffled the staff-crutches around so she could grab him roughly by his collar. "What did you do to my ship?" She asked him that same voice, focusing her gaze on him intently as she lifted him to her eye level.

Huggy struggled desperately. "She went into emergency shutdown mode when we crashed…" he cried. "I can't access the emergency system…."

"Ugh…" Sarvavi sighed irritably as she dropped him and hobbled back to the wall.

She knocked twice on a panel and it slid open to reveal a square scanner. Sarvavi carefully placed her bloody hand in the center of the screen. "Come on…. Come on…." She whispered impatiently. After several seconds passed and nothing happened, she gave the wall an abrupt kick that made the whole ship rock back and forth slightly. "Always a back door…." Sarvavi murmured to herself, standing perfectly still as Becky stumbled to find her footing on the shifting floor.

Once the ship steadied, the screen began to glow a light blue color. Words scrawled across the wall above the scanner in long white script: _DNA ID input method: liquid and physical. _The light went out and the screen remained black for a good five seconds. Then slowly, a line of white dots began to trace their way around the outline of Sarvavi's hand. The words on the wall disappeared and were replaced with: _ID accepted…._

"Manual emergency recovery activated…. Beginning memory reboot…." Becky jumped at the new voice. It was distinctly female, but also low and robotic and seemed to come out of the walls themselves.

Sarvavi closed her eyes in relief. "Oh thank the spirits…"

"What is that?" Becky asked.

"Restoration at 87%..." The voice sounded again as the walls began to light up in ways Becky had never seen before. The lights danced over the walls, leaving short-lived streaks behind them, reminding Becky of a computer rebooting.

"Give her a second…." Sarvavi said, removing her hand from the scanner (which slid closed) and hobbling over to Becky's side. "I'll let her introduce herself…"

"Who..?"

"Memory load successful…. Returning to conscious state…" 

Sarvavi smiled. "His inventions always have a backdoor…."

"_Good to hear that voice again….. I was beginning to worry I would never speak again_." The voice filled the entire room, coming out of and reverberating off the walls.

"Sorry about that…." Sarvavi said to the room at large, leaning on her crutches with a grimace. "A lot has happened."

"_I figured as much once you gave me a substitute pilot, we were ambushed and escaped to this planet."_ The voice said, sounding somewhat sarcastic.

"Don't be like that…. It wasn't Huggen's fault…"

"_Maybe not, but he let me sit here dead as a hunk of metal for twelve years."_

"I reset the security before you left." Sarvavi explained, ignoring or not realizing Becky's astonishment. "Unless he had my DNA he couldn't have revived you…"

"_he could have tried…"_ The ship responded stubbornly.

Huggy looked like he wanted to say something but kept quiet at Sarvavi's look. "We'll talk about this later, once we're safe." She said to both Huggy and the ship.

Sarvavi turned to Becky who quickly closed her mouth around her questions. "This is Beckyan." Becky looked around and waved slightly at the room feeling a little pathetic.

"_Oh yes, I remember you….."_ The voice said and Becky could have sworn it sounded the tiniest bit **happy**.

"_you have grown up since our crash."_ The ship continued. "_I was concerned you hadn't survived entirely intact…"_

Sarvavi cleared her throat rather loudly. "Why don't you introduce yourself?"

"_Affirmative. I am the Gifted Engine Navigator commonly referred to as GEN. I was created and developed to enhance navigation and information accuracy aboard this ship. After we were ambushed above Lexicon and forced to make an un-calculated hyper-jump, I was forced into shutdown mode."_

Sarvavi nodded thoughtfully, apparently satisfied with that introduction even though it still left Becky gaping. "GEN, we'd love to catch up but we're in a bit of a hurry right now. Can you give me a power and navigation system read-out?"

'_Initializing now__…_' The walls began to light up again and several of the panels began to glow like a screen. Sarvavi hobbled towards these panels as a floor plan of the entire ship appeared on it complete with minuscule engine details and fuel levels (which read _**critically low**_).

"I'm sorry…. So this…. GEN?" Becky asked, following Sarvavi to the wall. "What **is** she exactly?"

"_I'm still here…"_

Sarvavi smiled and shook her head slightly as Becky jumped. "She's an invention by a friend of mine." She answered Becky, tapping on one of the engines on the diagram so the plan zoomed in to focus on it. "He thought I would get lost too easily on one of my scouting trips so he created GEN as a kind of artificially intelligent navigation system." She winced and tenderly touched her side but kept her eyes on the screen. "He seems to have created some kind of personality for her too because she likes to argue with me. But she has her uses and once you get to know her, she's actually quite enjoyable company."

She scanned the engine diagram intently. "Navigation is shot….. but we can still get back….." She doubled tapped the engine diagram and it was replaced with a series of complicated equations. "Looks like our biggest problem is going to be fuel…." She muttered as Becky tried to make sense of the shortest equation on the screen and failed.

"_Emergency power is low but may be recharged.__"_The voice still made Becky jump.

"If only we had a power cell…" Sarvavi muttered, now reading what looked like a chemical analysis of the engine's inner workings that completely eluded Becky.

"What about this?" Huggy held up the strange weapon he had swiped from the trial.

"Maybe…. " Sarvavi let the screen of the entire engine reappear. "What model is it?" She asked Huggy.

He examined the gun. "IG-X 87." He said, reading off the side of the weapon.

She sighed slightly. "I would've preferred a TM model…"

"Stop being so biased. This is the best we've got." Huggy said.

"_it should be sufficient to power emergency mode and the dimension engines." _

Huggy shrugged once than tossed Sarvavi the weapon. "Great, let's get to work!" She said and took up her makeshift crutches again.

Sarvavi began hobbling towards the steps down to the engine room, leaning on the pieces of her staff not looking back to see if they were following.

Lost, Becky caught Huggy's eye. He only offered a shrug. "We'd better follow her… the sooner we get this done, the soon we can treat her wound." He headed after Sarvavi's shuffling figure. Becky stood alone in the room. No, she wasn't even alone because the voice from the ship's walls (GEN) was here. _I don't even know my own ship… no it's not even my ship…._ She realized. _ How have I not known all this? Has everything been a lie?_ She took off after Huggy and Sarvavi into the familiar place that had suddenly become very strange.

* * *

"Hand me those wire-cutters?"

Becky jerked back to reality. She and Sarvavi were standing in the dimly lit engine room. In a matter of minutes, Sarvavi had taken the weapon apart and pulled out a glowing cylinder that was (she explained) a Lexicon oxygen-producing power cell ("with this thing we can power the ship and produce oxygen!"). Huggy was up in the cockpit, keeping an eye out for additional mechanical problems (and for unexpected visitors). Becky had changed completely into her Wordgirl outfit; it just seemed wrong to be in her Earth disguise when she was in her ship. _Not my ship. _she reminded herself for the tenth time. Now she was handing Sarvavi various familiar and unfamiliar tools while brooding over the events of the past week. The other girl had skillfully dismantled the power cell and part of the engine and now appeared to be trying to connect the two in a very complicated mess of wires. Becky dug the specified tool out of the box beside her and placed them in Sarvavi's outstretched hand without a word.

"You okay? You've been really quiet…" Sarvavi sounded a little concerned. Either that or the bullet in her side was bothering her again.

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around all this." Becky confessed, unable to bring herself to lie.

The girl turned to face her so Becky could look into her deep eyes again. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asked gently.

Becky shook her head. "Not until we have time to hear the whole story."

Sarvavi shrugged and went back to her work. Becky watched her for a few minutes, steeling herself to finally say what she had been contemplating since the previous night.

"Sarvavi?"

She grunted in response, still adjusting wires.

Becky took a deep breath. _Just say it. _"You can take the ship. But I'm staying here."

Sarvavi froze mid-adjustment and sighed. "I'm afraid this is where I draw the line." She said, still facing her work. "You cannot stay here anymore."

"I have to protect my city." Becky said stubbornly but not harshly.

Sarvavi flinched as though those words hurt her more than the bullet in her side. But she still did not look at Becky.

"You said it was my decision. I am deciding to do my duty to my city. I have to save them from him." Becky continued quietly. "Without me, they're helpless. You saw them in the courtroom today…"

"Staying here will only make it worse." Sarvavi interrupted, jerking a blue wire out of the power cell forcefully and beginning to make precise snips along it. "While protecting them is very admirable, it's no longer an option." She finished her cutting of the blue wire and began to twist it towards an identical one on the engine. "As long as he knows you're here and you care about these people, he will use that against you." She continued, and then paused in her work for a moment. "He's an expert in torture and forceful persuasion." She said scornfully. Becky was silent. She could already feel that she was going to lose this argument. "He knows things you cannot even imagine. You won't survive here." Sarvavi clamped the two ends of blue wire together and stood back to examine her work, brow furrowed in a barely concealed wince. "But if we leave, he'll follow us. There's nothing here for him as long as we're gone."

Becky wasn't going to give up. "But what about everyone in the courtroom?" She asked, stepping up to stand beside Sarvavi so she could see her face. "How can we be sure they're all okay? What if…. What if he…. killed someone…?" It was difficult to think about, let alone say.

Sarvavi sighed and closed her eyes as if trying to remember something. "No more shots went off so further injuries from the gun are impossible. Inexpert transported back to his ship, probably because he realized the crowd would make it impossible to find us... Your…. mother was flat on the floor but got to her feet once we left the room so she was unharmed… that robot boy was fighting his way towards the window….. Your reporter friend ran after us but couldn't find us among the chaos..."

Becky watched her analyze the scene as though she had been floating above it, not removed from it. "How did you…"

Sarvavi interrupted, her eyes still closed as if she were watching the scene on her eyelids. "Becky, did you really think I wasn't aware of everything that was happening in that room?"

"But you passed out…. So how did you see…?"

She opened her eyes and went back to adjusting the power cell. "I didn't see it, I heard it." She said flatly.

Not even Wordgirl's hearing was that acute. "Do you have super-hearing?" Becky asked her quietly.

Sarvavi still refused to look at her. It was like she was talking to herself. "I don't know how 'super' it is but it's pretty darn sharp." Sarvavi said, tugging on a red wire now. "I suppose that comes from being a Sensor."

Before Becky could ask what a Sensor was, Huggy came back into the engine room.

"Power levels are beginning to rise." He announced.

Sarvavi winced again and put one hand to the bloody sweater tied around her middle.

"We need to get that out…now." Huggy said sternly, watching her carefully.

She shook her head stubbornly. "Later, we need to get out of here."

"You know what's going to happen if that bullet stays in there too long…" Huggy protested.

"I don't care." Sarvavi interrupted flatly, connecting the red wire to a thick purple one on the engine. "We have to get out of here. Now."

Huggy crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame. "She's going to get herself killed…" Becky heard him say under his breath.

Sarvavi either ignored him or was too focused on her work to care. With a note of finality, she tucked the modified power cell inside the engine door and slammed it shut. "Well, that ought to do it…" She said, wiping her hands on the grease and blood-stained prison jumpsuit.

"Do we have to leave?" Becky asked quietly, refusing to let the matter rest.

With a defeated sigh, Sarvavi finally turned to her. Her eyes were bloodshot and Becky could have sworn she looked paler. "If you hadn't come to the trial today, no. But now that he knows who you are, yes, we do." She fiddled briefly with the wire-cutters in her hand before gripping them tightly in her fist. "We have to get you back." She said. "It's the only way I can keep you safe."

"But can't you…?"

"On Lexicon I have places to hide and resources I can use to protect you." She said and then let out another sigh to cover a gasp of pain. "Here, I do not."

"But why? Why do you need to protect me?"

Sarvavi looked like she was about to make another mysterious, somewhat sarcastic comment but she suddenly gasped, doubling over in agony.

That was the last straw for Huggy. "That's it! Down! Now!"

"No… it's fine… its…" But her sentence was abruptly bit off as another gasp tore from her mouth and the wire-cutters clattered to the floor.

Huggy turned to Becky. "Becky, hold her down."

"what?" She asked, startled.

"You're strong enough to hold her down." Huggy said. "You need to restrain her."

"No you promised…." Sarvavi protested quietly, trying to stumble back to the engine. Becky looked between Huggy and Sarvavi, unsure of what to do.

"Come on!" Huggy shouted.

Becky wrapped her arms around Sarvavi's shoulders and squeezed the girl's arms against her sides. The other girl wriggled and squirmed, pushing against Becky's hold. "Let me go!" Becky strained to hold her down, utilizing all of her super-strength. She began to feel sweat building up on her forehead. Even in this weakened state, Sarvavi was **strong**_._

"Bring her this way!" Huggy called and disappeared out the engine room door. Becky followed Huggy, painstakingly dragging the struggling girl with her out of the engine room and down one of the ship's many passageways. Huggy led her down the twisting passageways until they reached a room Becky had never been in before.

"You never showed me this room Huggy…."

"We never needed it." He replied tersely, flicking on a light switch.

The light illuminated a simple bedroom including a bed, a desk and a small bathroom. The black case of emergency medical supplies was open on the desk, various bandages and vials spilling out of it, as if Huggy had been planning for this. He had even ripped the sheet off of the bed in preparation for the patient.

"Put her here." He instructed Becky. Arm muscles screaming, Becky dragged Sarvavi over to the bed and managed to push her down onto it. But as soon as she let go, Sarvavi was trying to sit up again, breath coming in short, agonizing gasps, her eyes nearly rolling with pain.

Huggy pushed her back down. "No Sarvavi…" He said firmly, reaching for the black case.

She still struggled to get up but Becky held her shoulders down this time, keeping her pinned.

"I have to save her…" Sarvavi whispered, her voice hoarse. Her arms began to fail wildly.

Huggy grunted in frustration and let his arm drop. "I was afraid it would come to this…"

Huggy pulled something out of his pocket. Something that made the air go cold and the walls spin…

Becky felt her arms start to shake and cold sweat drip down her back. "Huggy…?"

It was an earring made entirely of Lexonite. It's bright red glow seemed to penetrate the whole room.

When Sarvavi saw it she froze. "No…. no Huggy…. Please don't…" she pleaded desperately, eyes wide.

His expression didn't change. "This is for your own good, sister…"

He clipped the earring on Sarvavi's ear, making her immediately stiffen and bite off a cry of protest.

Becky immediately felt better; the light seemed less potent once the jewelry touched Sarvavi's skin.

Sarvavi turned her head slowly, the light from the earring turning the right side of her face a glowing shade of blood-red. "Where… where did you..?"

"I found it. Just after we landed here." Huggy looked briefly up at Becky but continued to speak to the girl on the bed. "In her blanket."

"Her blanket…" she looked up at Becky, eyes wide with sudden comprehension. "Of course…" Then she cringed in pain again and clenched her jaw.

Huggy unzipped the blood-soaked prison jumpsuit so he and Becky could look at the wound. Becky gagged as the smell of blood assaulted her nose again. The bullet hole was perfectly round and oozing slowly, placed almost exactly four inches below the cloth covering Sarvavi's chest. As Huggy moved to get a better look, Becky caught sight of something else. Directly opposite the oozing wound was a small flat scar on Sarvavi's stomach, barely three inches long.

"What is that from?" She asked, in an effort to distract herself from the stench of blood.

No one answered her question.

Huggy was rummaging around in the black case, pulling out variously colored vials and tools but obviously not the one he needed. "We need a scalpel. Or a knife." He said and looked at Sarvavi expectantly.

"I didn't… bring any of my blades….. with me….." She said between gasps. "Just my staff…"

Something in Becky's cape pocket tapped her back as she moved. Carefully, she reached in and slowly pulled it out.

"How about this?" Lord Inexpert's knife glinted dangerously in her hand.

To her enormous relief, neither Huggy nor Sarvavi asked where or why she had gotten it, even though they were both eying it apprehensively. She wasn't sure she could answer their possible questions about why she had it.

"It'll have to do…" Huggy said and slowly took it from her.

"Ironic… since it gave me this scar…" Sarvavi said bitterly, indicating the flat scar opposite her wound.

Becky would've inquired further about this but she could feel her body reacting to the scent of blood and thought it would be best if she kept her mouth shut.

"We don't have any painkillers…." Huggy told the patient. "I'm sorry…"

Sarvavi closed her eyes around another wave of pain. "Just do it." She said gritting her teeth.

Huggy began to lower the knife, than caught sight of Becky squirming. "Becky, you probably shouldn't watch…" Becky didn't need another reason to leave. She dashed out the door, away from the stench of blood. She felt her cheeks flush in shame at the speed of her departure but shut the door behind her just as quickly. She leaned against it, sucking in deep breaths of the hallway's clean air.

"You're lucky dad had Marliem teach me a few things…" Huggy's voice drifted strongly through the thin metal door. But he sounded nervous.

A stifled scream came from behind the door, making Becky cringe. The operation had begun.

"Don't think about it….. Talk to me… tell me about home…" Huggy sounded both focused and anxious at the same time.

Becky wanted to leave; she didn't want to think about what was happening behind that door. But the promise of learning about home was too tempting to miss. She stayed glued to the door, even as Sarvavi let out another strangled yell.

"Home…? Home? I doubt you could even still call it that… arrughhh…" Becky tried to block out the sickening squelching sounds coming from inside by focusing her super-hearing on the engine down the hall. But that didn't stop her normal hearing from picking up the conversation behind her.

"The counsel fell…?" Huggy sounded shocked.

"I failed…. Failed!" Another stifled scream. Several deep, ragged breaths. "I was too late…. It was terrible…"

"What about the temple?" Huggy asked desperately.

"The temple is fine…." Another gasp. "The Ignorites have no interest in those places…" Another scream that quickly became short, relieved gasps. A dull clink of metal hitting wood. The bullet must have finally come out.

_Council? Temple? Ignorites?_ _Just want kind of place __**is**__ Lexicon?_ Huggy had never mentioned any of this.

"So… is… dad..?" Huggy asked softly.

"He's fine."

She heard Huggy breathe a sigh of relief. "And Hayen…?" He asked sounding the tiniest bit hopeful.

There was no response. Becky imagined Sarvavi turning her head away from Huggy just like she had always done when she didn't want to tell Becky the truth. Becky leaned her head back against the door and closed her eyes. _She's keeping secrets from Huggy too…_

Apparently, Huggy didn't have as much of a problem with it as she did. "What have they done?" Becky heard him ask in a horrified voice. "How could they have infiltrated…?"

"There was a betrayer…!" Her voice was so bitter it made Becky tremble.

"A betrayer?" Huggy sounded shocked. "Who…?"

"It doesn't matter, they are lost now." Sarvavi let out a hiss. "Watch where you're dabbing that crap…!"

"It's the only way I can clean the wound…" Huggy said dryly. "Keep talking."

"The emperor has hundreds imprisoned…" Sarvavi continued, hissing occasionally. "trade has ground to a halt… they rip the world apart looking for Lexonite…"

A yelp. "Watch it..!"

"Sorry…" There was a rustling sound, as if Huggy were shifting through the black box again.

"The cities are mostly taken over." Sarvavi was saying. "ships grounded… people stuck…. No one but the military leaves the world."

The rustling abruptly stopped. "Wait…. How did **you** get here..?" Huggy asked slowly.

"What..?"

"Where's your ship….?" He let out a gasp. "No… You didn't…."

"So what if I did?"

"You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"But I got here. It's going take a lot more than the journey here to kill me!" Becky heard her bite off another grunt of pain. "And it's going to take more than this to keep me from getting Beckyan home!"

There was silence for a few minutes in which Becky enjoyed the company of her steady breaths of blood- free air and her thoughts filling the quiet. Softly, she pushed herself off the door and leaned instead against the opposite wall.

"There, that bandage should hold..." More rustling. "Sometimes, I can't stand you, you know that?" Huggy sounded disgusted.

"You've mentioned that several times before…"

Another rustling sound. "Here, drink this. It's a little out of date, but it should still work."

"Well, I'll let you know if I feel any indications of medicine poisoning…" Sarvavi sounded the slightest bit annoyed.

"At least you're well enough for sarcasm… Shut up and drink it."

There was a gulping sound and Becky imagined Sarvavi downing one of those colorful vials in a single swallow. Sarvavi coughed once. "Okay, I'm fine. Let's go."

"NO." Huggy's voice was calm but firm. "You stay here and rest. We'll get the ship up and running."

"Hurry." Was all the warrior had to say.

The door opened and Huggy came out wiping his bloody hands on a towel. He looked drained but satisfied at last. Looking up, he caught sight of Becky and tried to smile.

"She won't be down long…" he said tiredly. "Come on, we'd better get the ship up and running before she gets impatient."

Becky followed him to the cockpit, which had come alive with lights and monitors she had never seen active before. _I guess there's no avoiding it now. _ She thought numbly. _I'm going home….._

The though made her heart race excitedly even as her mind worried about the implications this could have.

Huggy settled himself in the pilot's seat. "GEN? Activate emergency power." He called out.

The voice came from the walls again. "_Affirmative. beginning start-up sequence…"_

Softly, the ship began to vibrate, then shudder… Becky grabbed for something to steady her as the ship jerked several times like a bucking engine. Huggy fiddled with several dials and levers on the control panel and a low whistling sound came from beneath them.

"_start-up successful, power-levels at 96% their maximum. activating manual emergency flight mode…"_

Huggy gulped nervously and caught Becky's eye. "Here goes nothing…." He slowly lifted the wheel.

With a mighty crunch of earth, the Lexiconian ship rose slowly from the Earth for the first time in twelve years.

Becky clung desperately to the door frame as the unfamiliar feeling of flying in something else threatened to send her falling.

"It's working…! It's working!" Huggy had never sounded more excited.

"Of course it's working." Sarvavi said dryly as she ambled into the cockpit. She was now wearing a loose white shirt, her black boots and brown pants that showed her ankles when she walked. Huggy rolled his eyes exasperatedly at her lack of rest but said nothing as she took the co-pilots' seat. "Don't you trust me?" She asked. His gaze turned uneasy. Sarvavi either didn't see his look or chose to ignore it. "Emergency mode is limited though… let's move out."

He nodded and pulled the wheel up harder. The ship began to rise faster as Sarvavi pulled Becky into the extra seat. "You might want to sit down…"

Becky nervously gripped the edges of her seat and stared out the cockpit window. They were floating just above the island where they had landed. In the distance, twilight was beginning to settle over the streets of Preposterocity. The sun was glowing off to the south-west, being swallowed by the ocean. The familiar buildings appeared painted bronze, the streets were dark lines across the land. It was an image that would stay with Becky forever. Huggy pushed the wheel and the ship jumped forward, shooting towards the heavens above. They broke free of Earth's atmosphere almost too easily. Becky/Wordgirl turned in her seat and stared out of the window, watching the blue-green and white planet she had called home for the last twelve years shrink quickly behind them as they rocketed toward the multitude of stars above them.

_Will I ever see it again?_

* * *

Had to cut this short again…. Almost done with the next part… hopefully it'll be much shorter than this…

Sorry if it was a little gruesome with the operation part. I tried to keep it from being to graphic...

And yes, GEN is partially based on K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider… please don't sue me, I thought it would be cool if the ship talked. Fun fact: Gen actually means information (as in general or something…). See what I do with my limited free time?

If enough people review, I promise I'll finish the next part sooner!


	9. Chapter 9:A quick lesson in zerogravity

This was supposed to be the last part of chapter 8. But I liked the ending with her leaving Earth better. This chapter is more of a short, connecting chapter (well… short for me…) but I'll just call it 9. Also, I banged it out over an all-nighter session and I'm really not happy with it. Anyway… I'm not concerned about people hating the quality because I know you'll hate me for the cliffhanger…

* * *

Chapter 9: A quick lesson in zero-gravity physics (apparently Fan Fiction has a limit on the length of chapter titles...)

Before Earth had even completely faded among the millions of stars, an alarm in the cockpit started blaring. Sarvavi pressed a button on the dashboard and scanned the feed on a nearby screen.

"Son of the Eychan..!" She said bitterly.

Huggy glared at her like she had just muttered a particularly crude curse. "What is it?"

"The wing engine cooling flaps aren't responding properly." She said tersely, pointing at the diagram she was examining.

Becky peered over her shoulder at the complicated diagram on the screen, unable to make sense of all the colored lines, lights and equations she saw. "Why?" She asked.

"Because _somebody_ didn't bother to keep them oiled and tight…" Sarvavi said, glaring at Huggy who only shrugged.

"Mechanics never was my strong suit…" he muttered.

Sarvavi sighed in frustration and leaned forward with a small wince. She fumbled around under the dashboard and pulled out a small tool that resembled a wrench.

"When the time comes, it's that button." She told Huggy, pointing to a small black button on the dashboard. "If I'm still outside, push it anyway. I'll be right back." She stood unevenly and stalked over to stand under the hatch. "Becky, take a deep breath. Huggy, open her up." She called over her shoulder.

Huggy nodded once than pressed the antenna on his helmet, closing his space visor around his face. Realizing what Sarvavi intended to do, Becky rushed to her side in a flash of red light. "Wait you shouldn't…"

Sarvavi turned on her irritably. Her eyes were still a little bloodshot. "Do you have a basic understanding of zero-gravity physics, light-speed mechanics and incessant anaerobic combustions?" Sarvavi asked, as if these were universal subjects of study.

Becky took half a step back. "No…"

"Then stay here."

Sarvavi clenched the wrench-like tool in her teeth and gave Huggy a thumbs-up. He punched a red button on the dashboard and the hatch popped open. Becky had to grab the wall as all the air in the ship rushed to the opening, creating a kind of vacuum within the hall. Sarvavi sprang through the opening (completely ignoring the conveniently place trampoline under the hatch) and disappeared out into space. Becky dashed back to the control panel as Huggy closed the hatch with another push of the button.

"What is she doing?" She asked him, scanning the window for a sign of Sarvavi.

"Trying to fix it of course…." Huggy replied. "She's such a perfectionist…"

"But her wound…"

"That's not going to stop her…" he said calmly. He adjusted the wheel slightly, staring out the window. "She once won a fight with Lexonite in her eyes and a knife in her side."

Becky looked at him in surprise.

"That's how she got the scar on her stomach." His eyes were shining, as if he were recalling the memory with pride. "The star is from long before that…" he said thoughtfully.

"The star…? You mean….. That star shield on her arm?" Becky asked. "That's a **scar**?"

Huggy briefly scanned a feed on the dashboard. "Yes. But I don't know the story behind that one… when I met her, she'd already gotten it."

Becky's fingers went to her own star on her chest. _That was cut into her arm?_ She had just assumed it was a birthmark like hers or a tattoo.

"What is..?" Her question was interrupted as, from outside the ship, there was a banging noise. Huggy rolled his eyes, muttering something about mechanics and zero-gravity.

Becky's curiosity got the better of her. "GEN?" She called out to the room.

The wall closest to her responded immediately. "_Yes, ill-informed mistress?"_

She ignored the jest. "Can you show me what she's doing out there?"

"_Affirmative. DNA authorization required." _

"What?"

'_Ha.__Ha.__Ha.__That was a joke. Watch the monitor_.'

A small screen on the wall flickered to life. Becky peered at it. She could make out Sarvavi, crouched on the ship's roof, gripping the hull with one hand and furiously adjusting something on the wing with the tool in her other hand. Sarvavi shifted positions effortlessly; she might as well have been swimming instead of floating in space.

Becky watched her for a few seconds as Sarvavi continued her adjustments with furious concentration. She just couldn't shake the feeling that….

The feed suddenly went dark, as if an enormous shadow were blotting out all light. Becky saw Sarvavi look up, eyes wide at something she couldn't see.

"GEN! Show me what that is!"

The feed rotated upward slightly and a dark form entered the top of the screen. For a second Becky thought an entire portion of the universe had suddenly gone black.

"What…. what is that..?"

"_The Leviathan. Primary transport of Lord Inexpert._" GEN answered.

Once it was pointed out, Becky noticed the slight markings on the slab of darkness that turned it into an enormous wing. Slowly, the rest of the ship drifted into view, blotting out nearly all the stars behind on the feed with its form. _That is one huge ship…. _ Even GEN's size paled next to this mammoth.

"Hold on!" Becky barely had time to register the shout before they jerked away from the giant shadow above them. Huggy dove away from the ship above them, rushing away from the nightmare. A bright flash of light burst past the window with a high pitched whistling sound, barely missing them. Huggy jerked the wheel again, narrowly avoiding another blaze of light. _They're shooting at us… _ Becky realized. As they moved again, Becky grabbed the wall to hold herself steady as her feet flew out from under her. Her eyes jumped to the monitor. Sarvavi was clinging to the ship with one hand, the other gripping her side as she scrambled to get her feet against the hull.

Another burst of light… too close… Huggy turned too slow…

The entire ship shuddered violently as the shot grazed the wing. Becky heard GEN make something between a gasp and a mechanical beep but her eyes were glued to the monitor as the ship jerked violently…

Sarvavi lost her grip…!

"No!" Becky screamed, pressing her face to the monitor as Sarvavi tumbled away into space, leaving the monitor's view as they sped through space. She turned to Huggy. "Huggy! Turn around! Turn around! We've lost her!"

Huggy's knuckles were white on the wheel. "I can't turn now…." He said through clenched teeth.

"Then open the hatch…!"

Huggy jerked the wheel to the side again, sending them into a wild spin. "I would be more worried about Inexpert than about Sarvavi right now…" Huggy said as he righted the ship and Becky picked herself off of the floor.

"Why…?"

Huggy pointed back towards the screen in response, eyes never leaving the window.

She turned back to the monitor, which had rotated to try to follow Sarvavi. As she watched, a red spot appeared in the distance, like a new-born star. _What..? _Before the thought could even fully form,Sarvavi dashed out of the cosmos, a trail of red light streaming terrifyingly behind her as she flew through space faster than the speed of sound.

Becky watched in awe. _She can fly too..?_

Sarvavi dove at the Leviathan with the agility of a bird of prey. If birds could fly as effortlessly in space as they did on Earth... In one red-tailed swoop, she launched herself at the gargantuan ship from underneath, like a cannonball. There was no sound as her fist collided with the enormous ships' hull. For one breathless second, everything froze. Then….. The ship blasted away from the touch like it had suddenly fired its boosters from the wrong place. Before Becky could even blink, it was lost among the billions of stars…

"Deep beath!"

She barely had time to register the shout before the vacuum was back. The hatch flew open and the warrior fell through, crashing to the floor of the ship. Becky ran to her as the hatch slammed shut. _Oh God…. Oh no…. _Sarvavi's breath was ragged and she clutched her side in agony. Becky placed her hands on the girl's shoulders but Sarvavi shook her off roughly.

"GEN! It's time. Fire boosters!" Sarvavi roared.

'_Affirmative_.'

The ship shuddered once and was filled with a strange humming. "Huggy….. now!" Huggy punched the black button on the panel. Immediately, all the lights went out. Even the stars seemed darker….

Feeling like she was moving in super-slow motion, Becky turned her head in the darkness. The universe seemed to tighten around them, pressing in on all sides, making Becky's ears pop. She tried to open her mouth… to say something… Time seemed to have stopped….. it felt like they were standing still…. While the universe moved slowly around them…

Then they shot forward.

Becky was thrown backwards…. Or was it sideways..? Why was this so familiar…?

Something grabbed her and held on, keeping her from smashing into anything. She was suspended in nothing, held there as the universe moved, stuck in time and space, the grip on her arm steadfast and strong, the only thing that convinced her that this was all still real… her heart was beating far too slowly…. There was a rushing in her ears…..

"We did it…"

The voice broke the illusion and the ship's gravity immediately began to pull on her again. Sarvavi let go of Becky's arm and they both collapsed on the floor, breathing hard.

It took Becky several seconds to remember how to talk. "What….What was that…?" She asked looking behind them as if she could see through the ship walls to the place they had just been.

Sarvavi smiled tiredly. "We just crossed the universe flux. That was the smoothest transition yet…"

"Certainly was less smashing than last time…" Huggy muttered from the pilot's seat as he unbuckled himself and leapt down to the floor.

"_it is nice to have motor controls upon exit this time…."_

Becky looked around, still a little distracted by what had just happened. "The universe…. flux…?"

Sarvavi pointed towards the window. "Welcome to Lexicon's universe."

"What?" Becky flew to the front window and stared out. The stars seemed denser, closer somehow. She couldn't recognized any constellations… she was indeed, staring up at an unfamiliar sky. A new universe.

"Lexicon and Earth are not in the same universe." Huggy explained. Becky heard a slight click as he opened his visor but she didn't turn from the window. "That's why we couldn't have gone home even if the ship was repaired. In order to cross that flux, we needed the dimension engines and a significant influx of force to push us past the lag in the boundary between the two universes."

"We can discuss the physics and astral-geography of it later." Becky turned back to the voice, her head filled with questions. But they immediately fled her as she looked at Sarvavi.

Sarvavi had sat down where she stood, legs crossed comfortably under her. "Becky, come here." She said invitingly, like a parent calling a child to tell them a secret.

"Why?" She had never known Sarvavi to be this calm and friendly.

Sarvavi smiled welcomingly again and indicated the space of floor directly in front of her.

"We are safe now. And I have a promise to keep."

She looked straight into Becky's eyes as Becky joined her on the ship's floor.

"I believe I owe you some answers…"

* * *

HAHAHA! I promise I'll update soon!


	10. Chapter 10: Lexicon: A Brief History

Finished! This was a chapter 5 months in the making. And now here it finally is:

* * *

Chapter 10: Lexicon: A Brief History

Becky could feel her heart pounding in her chest. "Why… why now?"

"Inexpert is gone. For the moment…. And it's still a long way back to Lexicon." Sarvavi shifted into a meditative pose but kept her eyes open and trained on Becky's face. " And… quite honestly, I'm in no particular hurry to get back."

"Why is that?" Huggy asked standing by the cockpit wall near a screen read-out.

She winced through her smile. "I'm not looking forward to seeing how much time might have passed since I left… and what might've happened…" Sarvavi's gaze had drifted to the window, staring out at the stars. Huggy said nothing but pretended to be fascinated by GEN's screen message which read: _Entering power-save mode._

Becky's impatience broke the placidity. "What are you talking about?"

Sarvavi snapped back to reality, pulling her gaze from the window. "Right…. Well…. Where do I start….?" She looked up at Becky and then abruptly turned away with a grimace.

For a second, Becky wondered if her injury was bothering her again, but the girl made no move to touch it. "Sorry," Sarvavi said as she slowly turned back to face Becky. "The age is throwing me a little…" She said, apologetically.

"What do you mean?" Becky asked as she settled restlessly onto the floor opposite Sarvavi.

"Well," Sarvavi began, studying Becky's face carefully. "I have been trying to develop a theory as to why you are not the age you ought to be."

Becky furrowed her brow in confusion. "The age I ought to be..?"

"According to Lexicon's time-scale," Sarvavi began, "you left five days after your first birthday. Since the night you disappeared, two and a half years have passed." Sarvavi inclined her head towards Becky. "You are only supposed to be about three years old. Yet here you are, clearly thirteen years of age."

If she had been standing, Becky would've gone weak at the knees. "But….But how is that possible…?" _Only three….? I'm only supposed to be a toddler?_

"I believe it has to do with the flux we just crossed." Sarvavi said, watching Becky carefully.

"You mean…. that….?" Becky looked behind them as if she could see the place where the universes crossed and time had no meaning.

"Yes. That." Sarvavi answered.

Huggy turned slowly towards them both, eyes wide. "But how can that be possible….?"

"A kind of random shift in the dimension of time between the universes…" Sarvavi said as she met his gaze.

"A **time**-flux…?" Huggy asked quietly.

"Yes."

His eyes widened even further. "If we can prove that…. Wisemann's theory of universe dimensions….." There was a note of wonder in his voice and his eyes glazed over with happiness.

"Yes, he'll be thrilled." Sarvavi said dryly. "That is, assuming he's still alive when we return."

Huggy's gaze abruptly fell. "Is he…?"

"Oh the West University has been playing diplomat to the Emperor since their arrival but only to keep the Ignorites out of their curriculum." Sarvavi said, waving his concern away. "No, I'm more worried about him dying of old age."

Huggy made a noise that didn't quite translate into speech but what Becky understood as a sound of confusion.

"There's no way to predict the flux." Sarvavi answered him. "It could be random; it could be a simple correlation. We just don't know. It would appear that while you were on Earth it was roughly 2 ½ Lexicon years to 12 Earth years. But by the crossing of both Inexpert and myself, we might have upset the balance. I was on Earth for a little over a week…"

Her gaze was starting to shift, as if she could see equations and diagrams sketched in the air around her. She had the look of someone trying to piece together a difficult puzzle. Seeing the look on Becky's face she abruptly cut off her mental calculations. "Sorry. I really shouldn't be trying to confuse you even more should I?"

Becky could only shake her head and wonder what she was getting into.

"Where do you want me to start?" Sarvavi asked, suddenly very focused on Becky.

Becky racked her brains trying to figure out what was most important. Looking at the girl in front of her, she suddenly realized the thing to ask that might give her the most information all at once. And the answer she had really been after since the beginning. "I still don't really understand who you are…." she began.

Sarvavi interrupted quickly. "I was your guardian and your mentor; you were the only daughter of the Grand Juror of the Star Council."

Becky stared blankly. "I have no idea what any of that means."

"Right, of course…." Sarvavi brushed a stray strand of hair from her face as if to contain her frustration. "Well, to put it simply let me say this: you are a very important person and it has been my job since your birth to protect you."

_Protect me? _The same person who had beaten her thoroughly last week? Becky took a deep breath and tried to keep the anger out of her voice. "If that's true, than what was up with the first few encounters we had…?"

"I was confused." Sarvavi's answer was quiet and shameful.

Becky said nothing. She just waited for the girl to continue.

"That first encounter was…. Well, at the time I had assumed nothing had changed. You used to love "arresting" me…." Becky saw her eyes become sad and reflective, like she was staring into the past. "I thought you would've remembered that…. We used to fight all the time like that. It was my way of training you. That's why I expected you to know my name…" Suddenly, Sarvavi shook herself back into her seriousness. She continued somewhat stiffly. "But of course I didn't realize until later that you weren't faking it. So I observed you for awhile, trying to figure out what was going on. I looked you up in the library's records to find your identity…"

The statement tripped Becky's mental alarm. "Oh yeah…. How did that work exactly…?" She asked.  
"The records of borrowed books." Sarvavi smiled, looking several years younger as the humor softened her features. "Only a Lexiconian of Thinker heritage could read 50 books in a week…"

Becky blushed slightly but had to ask. "What do you mean Thinker heritage?"

Abruptly, the smile faded. "You don't remember that either? How could one piece of Lexonite be so potent?"

"Okay." Becky said trying to collect her thoughts as a million more questions formed. "Back up a little. Why don't we start with who you are and then you can tell me all about Lexicon and my past."

Sarvavi shrugged. "Fair enough: As I told you before, I am called Sarvavisa Eychanten of the Star. I was born of the Eychanten tribe but was raised in the 'Sa Temple of the Monkeys in West Lexicon."

"The Temple on the mountaintop." Huggy said quietly from where he now sat in the pilot's seat. Sarvavi smiled at him.

"I swear to you brother, it hasn't changed."

"So _**you**_ say…." He scoffed quietly but both Becky and Sarvavi heard him. "As a fellow warrior, Huggy is my brother in the Temple." Sarvavi explained to Becky's questioning look. "But we were raised together, so it's a little more affectionate than simply being children of the same arts. During my childhood, I also attended the West University of Lexicon to study languages, physics and biology…. among other subjects."

"Among other subjects?"

Sarvavi continued, ignoring Becky's amazement. "After I graduated and received my warrior status, I was given the task of defending and tutoring you: Beckyan Enovater."

_That must be my tribe name._ Becky wondered why Sarvavi hadn't mentioned that earlier. She was the one who had said names were very important. _Enovator_… She had no memory of the name, yet it felt familiar…. Almost as familiar as Botsford. "But why me?" She asked.

Out of the corner of her eye, Becky saw Huggy shoot a frantic look at Sarvavi but the girl gave no inclination that she had seen it as well. "I will explain." Sarvavi promised Becky. "Now, let me tell you a longer story:"

* * *

"Years ago," Sarvavi began. "the planet Lexicon was divided by tribes which were generally established based on what kind of power that tribe demonstrated. Some were strong, some were extremely smart, some…. could fly." Her eyes widened as she said the word.

There was something wrong there. "They only had one of each of these powers?" Becky interrupted.

"Well, there was the occasional oddity of a dual-powered person," Sarvavi admitted. "usually on the rare occasion that people from different tribes had children together. Like a Thinker and a Sensor would produce a child that had both a gifted mind and heightened senses." For a second, Becky thought Sarvavi looked a little nostalgic but once again the moment passed so quickly she might've imagined it. "There are even stories about people rumored to have three powers…" Sarvavi continued.

"But, what about you?" Becky asked anxiously, wanting to make sense of this. "And… me? I can fly, I'm really strong, I can hear things miles away…"

Sarvavi held up one hand to cut her off. "I'm getting to that. Please have patience." Becky sat back down (she had begun floating in her eagerness) and tried not to squirm. Sarvavi looked at her for a few seconds before nodding and continuing her story.

"I was born of the Eychanten tribe, which was primarily comprised of acute Sensors. But as I'm sure you've noticed, I'm a little different." She stared at her hands blankly. "Much like you are." After a few seconds, she closed her hands and looked up. "You and I appear to be genetic oddities." She said to Becky. "Exceptions to the general theories."

She pulled the sleeve of her shirt up to reveal her glowing scar. "I am 'of the Star'. I bear this badge because I have been granted all the powers of Lexicon: Flight, Thoughts, Strength, Vitality and Senses. In all my travels and research, I have never known another to possess this mark." She paused for just a fraction of a second. "Besides you."

Becky's fingers went to her chest, stroking her own star, which did not glow. "Why do we both have it?"

Sarvavi stared thoughtfully at her arm for a few seconds, as if admiring the way the badge glowed in the soft light around them. "I really don't know..." She didn't look up at Becky.

The silence began to stretch. Becky wanted to ask her how she had gotten the shield but instead she found herself asking: "Lexicon is divided by tribe?"

"Yes. I suppose the best way to explain them is as nomadic or stationary groups that are either closely related or banded together by their common powers. Some of them have established cities and others have established the two Universities of Lexicon: East and West." The corner of Sarvavi's mouth turned up in a small smile. "It is rumored they were started by two quarreling Thinker tribes who couldn't agree on some long-disputed word definition."

Becky blinked. "That's it?"

"So the legend says…" Sarvavi shook her head slightly and the smile faded.

"All of Lexicon's tribes had issues with each other at some point. Tribes often fought and hated each other passionately, sometimes for no other reason than simply that they were different." Her gaze dropped back to the star for just a fraction of a second before moving back up to Becky.

"Then, a few years ago, several young members of major tribes decided it would be to everyone's benefit to try to overcome their differences and establish a council of the tribes; a fair representation of all of Lexicon's powers and people. In short, a government. The council consisted of the heads of all the tribes but one among them was elected to be the Grand Juror. Their choice was a dual-powered noble, a prominent Thinker and Flyer hailing from the Enovater tribe." She smiled gently at Becky. "Your father."

Becky's heart stopped. "My…. Father….?"

Sarvavi only nodded. "He planned and developed the council so it was only natural that he became the leader. Some began to call him their king, but he refused the title." Somehow, Becky couldn't shake the image of Tim Botsford in king's robes from her head.

"When you were born however," Sarvavi continued. "You were quickly given the unofficial title of 'princess of Lexicon.'" She chuckled lightly. "I think it was more affectionate than anything else…"

Becky stopped trying to imagine what her real father might look like as this new information caught her attention. _Princess? PRINCESS? _"But what happened? How did I end up on Earth? Why don't I remember any of this?" The questions came pouring out desperately.

"I'm getting to that." Sarvavi said gently, holding up one hand. "Unlike Earth," She continued. "Lexicon is not alone in its galaxy. Our closest neighbor is Planet Ignoranium, home of the species called the Ignorites." She looked at Becky as if she expected this information to mean something to her. It didn't.

"In the distant past, they left us alone… mostly." Sarvavi continued grimly. "But in recent years they have become more mobile, stronger, hungrier… Their new leader has established an empire and promised his people wealth and resources. They began conquering other planets in our universe, slowly at first, than faster and faster."

Her eyes met Becky's and this time, Becky saw the pain and anxiety there. "When I left to find you, Lexicon was all that remained between them and total domination of our galaxy."

* * *

Sarvavi paused a second, whether because the story was too painful to recount or for dramatic effect, Becky couldn't tell. The girl took a deep breath before continuing. "We were safe in the past when the Ignorites were afraid to invade Lexicon because they knew the stories about our 'mutant abilities.' The closest thing they have to that is their high-tech weapons… until they figured out one of our main weaknesses."

"What was that?" Becky asked, confused.

"Besides the underlying tensions associated with hundreds of years of tribal wars there was one thing almost everyone on the planet had in common."

Sarvavi plucked the earring from her pocket and turned it over carefully in her hands. Becky tried not to shiver as its cold, red light burned her eyes.

"Lexonite." She breathed.

"Lexonite." Sarvavi replied bitterly.

"They figured out how to use it against us..." Sarvavi's voice was harsh. "We didn't stand a chance once it started raining from the sky during their raid…" She stared hardly at the glowing earring, as if it were responsible for the memories she was recalling.

"I had to protect you; you were young and you were a prime target. So I gave you to Huggensa and told him and GEN to take you off the planet for awhile. Until I could rescue the council and escape. But something went wrong. I was ambushed and arrived too late." Her gaze was still fixated on the earring. A bead of sweat clung to her forehead. "The council had fallen. The Ignorites had won. I only barely escaped the wreckage of the council and fled. I failed…!" She closed her eyes and squeezed the earring so tightly in her fist that Becky was afraid it would crumble to dust. But when she slowly opened her hand, the earring was unblemished.

"Eventually I found others." She turned the earring over slowly. "Survivors and runaways, like me. People who had resisted or were still resisting the Ignorites. We began to bind together and form a resistance movement. My rebellion…" Her eyes became glassy and distant.

"Since the council fell, we have been all that stands in the Ignorites' way. All that stops them from destroying the land and enslaving the people..." Becky could tell she was losing her to some kind of rant.

"Why did they want Lexicon so badly?" She interrupted.

Sarvavi chuckled humorlessly. "Ironically, for Lexonite."

"What?"

"Oh yes." Sarvavi held up the earring. "The reason Lexonite glows so much is because it emits pure energy. It has been suggested that that's why it messes with our powers." She tossed it up into the air, where it remained floating for just a second too long before it slowly fell back into her hand. "The potency of this stone as an energy source is outstanding. The Ignorites know this and they want it. They've been having energy crises ever since they began their 'take over the universe' campaign. Even this small piece of Lexonite could power one of their guns for several years effortlessly."

Becky tried to focus on the Lexonite earring still in Sarvavi's hand but it didn't help her headache and dizziness.

"How can you stand to hold it?" She asked as she held her aching head in shaking hands.

Sarvavi was playing with the stone, flipping it between her fingers. "When I realized it was a weapon against me, I took action. I trained myself to be immune to it. Built up my tolerance…. Fought through it." She stopped moving the earring and stared at it for a few seconds then sighed and put it back in her pocket. "Unfortunately, I learned that all that training becomes rather useless once you enter an atmosphere with only about half the oxygen concentration Lexicon has." She said dryly.

Becky's head started to clear and she stopped shaking in the absence of the red light. "Earth?" She guessed.

Sarvavi only nodded.

"Speaking of which," Becky said, a few unanswered questions resurfacing in the silence. "How did I get there? To Earth, I mean."

"From what I understand," Sarvavi said, brow furrowed slightly. "Huggy and GEN were ambushed as they orbited the planet. Unable to fight off the attackers, GEN calculated a hyper-jump to take you out of danger. But unfortunately, that jump took you right into the flux which then spat you out on Earth."

"So how did you finally find me?" Becky asked.

"On one of our raids," the girl explained. "I was finally able to recover GEN's missing tracker from Lord Inexpert's palace." She pointed to a small round device on the cockpit wall next to them which reminded Becky of some kind of radar system. The screen on the device read _Repair Needed_. "It would lead me to that radar, even in its current state. Once I fixed the tracker, it began emitting a weak signal from the corner of the galaxy. It was the only chance I had to find you so I took it." Sarvavi stared out the window again. Becky saw more droplets of perspiration gathering on her face. "I managed to escape the embargo…" Sarvavi said, seeming oblivious to her own discomfort.

"By hiding on Lord Inexpert's ship and then flying half-way across the galaxy without a ship." Huggy cut in, making Becky jump. He had been silent for a long time, seated in the pilot's seat with his arms folded as he listened.

"Wait," Becky said slowly, realizing what Huggy was implying. "you _flew_ across the galaxy?"

"I had no choice." Sarvavi said flatly, still looking out the window. "I didn't have a ship."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Becky asked.

"I wouldn't recommend it as daily exercise…." Sarvavi turned back to face her with a sigh. "But I made it. Trailed closely by Inexpert of course." A drip of sweat fell from her face and landed on the floor.

Becky looked up into Sarvavi's eyes which were beginning to look bloodshot again. "Why did he follow you?"

"I think he's already made it clear that he wants me dead…" Her cynical tone didn't match her appearance, which seemed to be getting worse by the second.

"But why?" Becky asked carefully, remembering how Sarvavi had reacted last time she had asked about Inexpert.

"He blames me…. For… something….." Her words were clipped and labored. Sarvavi had started to shiver but the temperature in the ship hadn't changed. Another drop of sweat fell to the floor.

"Is this about his son?" Becky asked quietly.

Sarvavi's head turned on a strange angle, eyes wide. "Yes…." It was more breath than speech.

"What happened?" Becky leaned forward.

Sarvavi's voice was breaking. "Dexterous, why did you do that….?" The trembling was getting worse. "Just because you lost one fight…." Her gaze had broken, it was dreamy and distant, like she was talking to someone Becky couldn't see. "I forgave you…"

"Oh no…" Huggy was staring at Sarvavi in shock. His arms fell loose.

Blood started to run down Sarvavi's chin. She had bit her lip.

"Becky, get her back into the room!" Huggy shouted at her. "Make her lie down and keep her calm!" He turned to dig under the dashboard.

Becky looked at him in confusion. "What's happening?"

"What did I do to you?" Sarvavi was shouting, covering her ears and holding her head.

Huggy turned back to Becky, frantic worry etched in every feature of his face. "Some of the lead must have dissolved in her blood. She's having a reaction…" Huggy explained.

Sarvavi's forehead was burning, her eyes were rolling.

"Give her this!" Huggy tossed Becky a needle full of a milky liquid. "It will help her sleep!" He explained. Becky stared at the needle in her hand, feeling sick herself. She hated needles….

"Now! Hurry!" Huggy called impatiently, jerking Becky out of her thoughts. Quickly, Becky scooped up the writhing girl and flew as quickly as she could down the corridor to the same room where the operation had been. Sarvavi didn't fight her this time but the shaking was getting worse.

"Why didn't you leave your father…? He was poisoning you…." The warrior was curled in her arms like a child, whimpering. The severity of the change startled Becky more than the symptoms did.

She gently eased the girl back onto the bed. Sarvavi was staring at the ceiling in horror.

"Don't hurt them..!" She cried desperately. "I'm the one you want….!"

"Easy…. Easy…." Becky said nervously, fumbling with the needle. "I'm not going to hurt you…"

"Why did you leave me..?"

Becky finally got a good grip on the needle and took a deep breath. "I'm right here…." She said quietly.

Reminded of the time she'd had to give TJ his allergy shot (and had thrown up afterward), she pushed the needle into the girl's leg.

Sarvavi gave no inclination that she had felt the needle's jab but her eyelids began to droop. "I should have been there…! I should have saved her….." She said quietly. Her voice suddenly went soft and quiet, like a small child's. "… mama… I'm scared! I don't want to die…!" Her eyes finally closed, and her head fell to the side.

Becky breathed a sigh of relief and slowly pulled the needle out. She set it aside and wiped her forehead which had become nearly as moist as Sarvavi's. She found a blanket on the edge of the desk and began to pull it over Sarvavi's still form.

Sarvavi sat up suddenly, eyes wide but unfocused. Becky jumped back in surprise.

"It's all my fault, Becky. I should have saved them."

Becky gently placed a hand on her burning shoulder. "Who?" She asked.

Sarvavi was clearly delusional. A single tear leaked out of the corner of her eye and ran down her cheek.

"Jayco….. I'm so sorry. " Then she fell unconscious.

* * *

_**Why haven't you told her….**_

_**Told her what?**_

_**The truth…. About that mark…**_

_**She's never known why I have it…. And she doesn't need to….**_

_**But the Prophecy…..**_

_**I won't make her suffer through that uncertainty….**_

_**You really think the earring is what caused her memory loss?**_

_**It's the only plausible explanation…**_

_**Why didn't you tell her about her parents?**_

… _**She doesn't need to know…**_

_**She will find out eventually, everyone on Lexicon knows her name… **_

…_**I **__**will**__** protect her…**_

_**I don't doubt that… but I question your motive**_

_**What do you mean?**_

_**Do you still love him?**_

_A shadowy figure….the memory of soft lips against hers… his warm whisper caressing her spine… the desire for him burning through her mind, destroying all logic…. The pain of loss gnawing on her ears….. the bitterness of separation coursing down her arms….. the tears of failure…. Why couldn't she master her feelings? The longing and guilt so intense they tore her heart from her chest….! _

* * *

Becky jolted awake, breathing hard, her heart racing reassuringly. _Where am I?_ Than the last few hours came back to her in a rush and she started to relax as she realized where she was. _I wonder just how many hidden rooms this ship has…_

She swung her feet out of the bed and silently opened the door of the spare bedroom. Down the hall, she could see the door to the room where she had placed Sarvavi several hours before. Focusing her hearing, she heard the squeaking of the pilot's seat in the cockpit as Huggy shifted restlessly. Becky patted quietly down the ships' corridor, heading for the cockpit.

Huggy was leaning back in the seat, staring up at the stars above him in the window. He wasn't guiding the ship, yet they were moving. _I guess GEN can act as an auto-pilot too._ She cleared her throat as she entered the cockpit, so as not to startle him.

He turned to the noise. "Becky?"

"Couldn't sleep…" she explained. She fell into the seat next to him and stared up at the strange new universe out the window. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him nod. He turned back to the stars and they both stared in silence for awhile.

"How does it feel? To be back?" Becky found her own inquisitive voice breaking the peace.

Huggy sighed but didn't look away from the stars above them. "It still hasn't really hit me…" he said sadly.

"Why not?"

His gaze was fixated on the stars, like he was trying to draw new constellations. "I guess….. I'm scared." He confessed.

"Scared of what?" Becky asked gently.

"Of what I might find once we return."

Becky didn't have a response to that. She let the silence return and stared at the stars with him, mentally drawing the Lexicon star in the sky. They sat like this for a few minutes, both staring at the strange but somehow familiar universe.

"Huggy?" Becky asked quietly, finally breaking the silence.

"Yes?"

"Why did you lie to me?" She asked it gently this time.

Huggy sighed.

"You don't have to tell me the story. I just want to know why you never told me."

Huggy swiveled in his chair until her faced her. "I did a lot of thinking last night when I was here alone." He began. "I realized…. I was only trying to keep you happy…"

She turned to face him. "Happy..? In what way?"

"With the ship in that condition, we were stuck on Earth. I didn't want you to be sad about not being able to go home. And….. I didn't want you to worry."

"Worry about what?" Becky asked, trying to keep her voice calm and mildly curious.

"About going home."

"Why would I worry about that..?"

"Lexicon has always had its problems, just like Earth."Huggy said, turning to the dashboard and tapping a small screen. A tiny diagram of Lexicon appeared on it and rotated slowly, rings turning in opposite directions mesmerizingly. "There are disasters, the occasional wars between tribes, disturbances in the spirit world… the planet has never been completely united…" he said sadly as he examined the screen.

Becky tore her eyes from the diagram. "But I thought the council..?"

"The council was a great step forward. But it was never perfect. It was still trying to establish its power when it was destroyed…" He sighed and turned to her, eyes hard. "Lexicon is a dangerous place Becky. Of all people, Sarvavi knows that best… which is why I don't completely trust her."

_So he doesn't trust her…._ The realization brought little satisfaction.

"If her goal is protecting you," Huggy continued. "I can't believe that she's willingly letting you return to dangerous place. Unless…" His eyes suddenly shifted to the side and he stared thoughtfully at nothing.

"Unless what?" Becky asked.

He turned back to her calmly. "….Unless she has a plan…"

Becky said nothing. She had the strangest sense that that was not what Huggy had originally intended to say.

Becky stood. "Night Huggy."

He smiled at her. "Goodnight Beckyan." This time, she felt no anger in association with the name.

She wandered back down the corridor but didn't return to her bed. Becky quietly pushed open the door and entered the room, just in case the girl was not longer unconscious. Becky flew silently until she was alongside the bed. Sarvavi lay flat on the bed, her head turned to the side, her face calm and impassive. She stared at the sleeping warrior, wondering what she was seeing in her dreams. Wondering what secrets were still hiding behind her eyes. Wondering why she still couldn't shake the feeling that this girl, despite saving her life three times, still meant her harm.

* * *

I am so sorry this took so long but I wanted to get it just right. I attempted to pile a lot of information into this chapter so please let me know if you are lost or confused. I promise the next chapter will be up soon! And it will be significantly shorter than this one.


	11. Chapter 11: Arrival

My shortest chapter yet. It should really be called the epilogue but whatever.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 11: Arrival

He slowly picked himself off of the floor and turned to face the window. His quarry was nowhere in sight. The stars were all wrong. They were still stuck in this deplorable universe.

_She got away again….._

With a furious cry, he smashed his fist onto the table, causing the flickering candle to topple over. The entire tabletop caught fire, casting a terrible, flickering light on his features.

"My… Lord…?" His fool colonel was there, trembling at the sight of his enraged Lord.

"Where did they go?" He hissed, eyes blazing in the flames.

The man was shaking. "In….into the flux…. My lord….."

"Follow them immediately!" he commanded.

"Y….yes…..yes lord!" The man flew off.

Inexpert turned back to the window, the fire behind him burning into his back.

_What terrible power she releases when she's furious….._ Inexpert thought as he straightened his clothes and shook himself off. _It's a pity I have to kill her… the Shadow would make such a useful weapon…_

_And the princess….._ He clenched his teeth. "You will not escape me Ansa. You can run and you can hide with the Shadow's precious little rebellion, but I will always find you."

Inexpert's fingers went to his collar, where his son's amulet burned at his throat. The flames behind him crackled as he stroked it. He let out a small chuckle.

"I have something that matters very dearly to the both of you…. It's time I started using that leverage…. And once I do…. You will suffer and you will die."

A terrible smile glowed in the firelight.

"Even Shadows can be killed…"

The fire burning on the tabletop burned itself out until the room fell into darkness again.

Slowly, the Leviathan turned and headed for the universe flux.

* * *

Becky floated next to the sleeping girl for what felt like hours. But with no sun or moon to tell her the time, she couldn't be sure exactly how long it had been. She wasn't even sure what she was waiting for. At least she wasn't tired; last night (?) had been the best sleep she'd had in the past week and she felt much better than she had at the trial.

As the immeasurable time passed on, Becky found her thoughts wandering. What had happened at the trial? Was everyone okay? Did anyone get hurt in the stampede? For a second, she even found herself sincerely wishing that Tobey had escaped unscathed, but quickly squashed the thought down.

But the question that stood out most in her mind was this one: Because she had been a target, did everyone now suspect her?

If, no, **when** she returned home, would she finally have to face the music and tell her family the truth about her? Could she?

Becky began to squirm. _How long will it be before I see them again?_ She stared down at Sarvavi, sleeping peacefully on the bed. _Will I meet my real family on Lexicon?_

Sarvavi's eyes suddenly flew open, startling Becky so much that she fell out of the air and landed hard on the desk. "We're here…" Sarvavi said, with no hint of exhaustion or illness.

Becky picked herself off the desk, rubbing her back where the edge had dug into it. "What… What…?" Then she realized the significance of what Sarvavi was saying and froze.

Sarvavi swung herself out of the bed unsteadily, a smile dominating her face. "Go see for yourself."

Becky flew into the cockpit and stared out of the window. Her eyes widened in awe.

"This is…?"

"Yes." Sarvavi had followed her to the cockpit, floating slowly and unsteadily several inches above the floor of the ship. She looked over Becky's shoulder, eyes overflowing with joy.

Huggy chuckled at their reactions. "Yes, it's good to be home." He said.

Sarvavi placed a gentle hand on Becky's shoulder. "Welcome back to Lexicon."

_**End of part 1.**_

* * *

I'm going to take a little break from this before part 2 and focus on the prequel I started (among other projects). To all my reviewers: you guys have been absolutely wonderful with this story and I hope you will stick around for part 2!

Peace!

wolfchic011

6/25/11


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